Lawbreaker's Eyes
by i-nv-u50
Summary: Murderer's Touch's Sequel. SLASH! CH8 Coan is an aloof Trainee, desperately lonely despite his Companion, but is hiding it from everyone, even him. A new Trainee arrives at the Collegium and Coan is drawn despite himself. But is it as safe as it seems?
1. Thaelin: Cruel World

Title: Lawbreaker's Eyes

Author: I_nv_u50

Rating: PG13 for some blood… I'm beginning to see a pattern O.o;;

Disclaimer/Claimer: Characters so far are mine, but the world is Mercedes Lackey's. Does that count as fanfiction? I'm _still_ gonna go with yes…

Warning: Slash (m/m) ahead. 

Author's Notes: Here's the sequel to _Murderer's Touch_ :D it's probably better to read that one first if you plan to read this, so go look for it if you haven't already!! :D Anyway, I'm not really happy with this title, so it might change, but it might grow on me as well… I guess we'll see.. it'll do for now ^^

**psycho tabby cat**  ~  This should answer your question… at the end tell me, did you really not see this one coming? XD it's all part of the sneak trade, I guess :D gotta find _something_ to keep people coming back to find out :D as for HP, there'll probably be some updates there once I reread the fifth book… which will be, roughly translated, a week or so… maybe :D cuz Draco's a prick XD lol not get distracted? :D I'm betting it didn't work . anyway, so here's the sequel, I hope you like it ^^

**Fireblade**  ~  lol Thanks ^^ Hope you like this one as well ^^

**etcetera-cat**  ~  Jolly good then, ol' chap :D I suppose that makes sense O.o;; it's hard to break boxes… unless you purposely go on a ranting rave and rip anything you can find :D me though, I prefer the bubble wrapping XD … yea… go me :D I hope you enjoy this story as much as the last one :D 

**ola**  ~  It's about time, isn't it :D Hope this was quick enough for you O.o;; I actually had it ready to go on Monday, but I wanted to see if I could get the second chapter done quickly as well… since that didn't show any signs of happening, I posted this anyway :D I guess chapter 2 will be up by the weekend sometime O.o;; heh. That was the proudest moment of the last chapter :D worked in kind of well, didn't it? It took me ages to think of how I could wrangle the title into the story somehow ^^ that whole 'asking' thing was straight from the interview piece… which reminded me just in time, otherwise it would have been another shy piece like the first kiss… ah well.. it's all good :D I hope you enjoy this story as well!! ^^

**colie**  ~  thanks ^^ and thanks for all your reviews of the originals, your replies will be in the next chapter that goes up ^^ I'm glad you enjoyed it, I hope you stick around for this story as well ^^

**SkyeLight2X1**  ~  Yep ^^ Here's the sequel ^^ lol… you're pretty much correct… 'cept there's not gonna be so much brynn/kylan in this one ^^; they'll still be around, but there's a new kid on the block :D … so to speak O.o;; I hope you enjoy this one as much the last one ^^

**Cathryn M. Guthrie**  ~  heh ^^ sound busy :D hope this is up fast enough for you :D geez you people are pushy XD but there, I don't mind. So by all means, carry on being pushy ^^ I'll check out your story as soon as I've posted this O.o;; looks like you updated :D quick worker, I'm jealous :D I hope you like this one as much as the last one ^^

**Maischeph-Vanscrilla-Black**  ~  lol Thanks XD when you mutter, do you do it aloud? Cuz I get weird looks when I do that T.T So anyways, here's the sequel ^^ Hope you enjoy it as much as the last one ^^

When all is said and done… (_laughs and points_) whee!! Song quote!! Special cookies to the person to first guess where its from (if anyone cares . XD) … although I suppose I should have picked a harder one to guess… chee, I wonder XD Anyway, here's the sequel… Read, Enjoy, and please review!! ^^

He woke up slowly, his mind disorientated and dizzy, and having no idea what was happening to him. That alone should have been enough of a hint to tell him exactly what was going on.

He struggled to lift his head, struggled harder to open his eyes, and when he finally managed to do a both, a strangled whimper of pure pain escaped from his tightly clamped shut lips.

He froze, listening hard, his heart thudding painfully as he tried to detect if he had been heard. If anyone knew he was awake… He'd never make it out alive. He'd probably never make it out at all.

After concluding that nobody had heard him, he managed to struggled into a half sitting position, trying to keep his pants of effort as quiet as possible. Apparently, it didn't work.

"They caught him, you know," a voice spoke out of the darkness.

Thaelin held back another whimper. It wasn't good to show too much fear. 

Footsteps approached, and Thaelin blinked up, straining his watering eyes to see further into the dark than he knew was possible. 

Cyril knelt beside him. "I caught Kylan. They took him away less than half a candlemark ago." A soft, breathy laugh. "He told me to save you."

Thaelin stayed still, unsure about what the other boy wanted him to do. 

Cyril stared at him a second longer. "Do you want to be saved, Thaelin? Do you really think it's possible?"

Thaelin kept his mouth shut; not that he had a choice. 

Cyril continued, his dark eyes thoughtful. "Can any of us be saved? You've never killed anybody at least. You might stand a chance. I can't believe I'm listening to that traitor. When did you find out he was sleeping with the Herald?"

Thaelin blinked up silently for a few moments, then realized Cyril was obviously expecting an answer. He shrugged, and tried to speak, but coughed up more blood instead. 

Cyril lightly brushed the sweat and blood soaked hair away from Thaelin's eyes. "Strange," he murmured quietly. "You can hardly see the blood in your hair, it's so dark. And yet I know there's blood there because I can feel it. It feels different from sweat, did you know that, Thaelin?"

Thaelin made a slight head shaking movement, hiding his wince. 

Cyril sighed. "No, of course not. You've never cut people until they died. Well, come on then," and the other boy stood up without the slightest bit of noticeable effort. "Would you like to be saved or not?"

Thaelin strained his body again and managed to sit up completely, tilting his head back because it eased his aching neck just a little. Cyril continued to stare down at him, and then sighed.

"All right. But once we get onto the roads, you're on your own, understand? They'll kill me if they find out I helped you escape. They'll probably kill me anyway…" Cyril trailed off, sounding alarmingly intrigued by the idea. The other boy shook his head and bent down slightly, gripping Thaelin's torn and tattered shirt to haul Thaelin up.

"Right. When we get outside, ignore the screams. There's nothing you can do to help him."

The moment Cyril said that, Thaelin imagined he heard a scream, and since it sounded far too similar to voices he had heard screaming in the past, he ignored it. He tried to grin instead. 

Cyril rolled his eyes. "All right, put on your happy mask. Just don't expect to be able to talk for a while," his cool fingers lightly caressed Thaelin's smoldering cheekbone. "They broke your jaw. You look dreadful, actually."

Thaelin made a soft sound, and Cyril allowed a small smile to cross his features. "Whatever, Ael."

Cyril didn't talk again, although whether this was because he didn't want to or he couldn't, Thaelin wasn't sure. All Thaelin knew for sure was that the usually quick trip to the main road seemed to take forever, and it appeared even longer once, sure enough, screams became audible in the distance.

He turned slightly to glare accusingly at Cyril.

Cyril didn't have the decency to look abashed, and merely shrugged, shifting Thaelin to his other arm. "What would you have liked me to do, Ael? Take on Faris, Taevan and Kadin? You know they would have killed me. Besides, his _Herald_ is on his way to help him." Cyril spat out the last bit scathingly, anger clear in his voice.

Thaelin felt some sympathy for the other boy and rested his head against Cyril's shoulder momentarily, lifting it up once his neck started hurting at the angle again.

Cyril gave him a queer little smile and remained silent.

They eventually reached the shadows on the wall of a rundown looking warehouse, and Cyril carefully propped Thaelin up against it, glancing back the way they had just come. Then he blinked. "Lord and Lady…"

Thaelin turned his head with more effort than he felt was worth the curiosity, but once he had, he was almost glad he had. There was a huge bonfire near the main grounds of the main house.

Cyril glanced at him again, plainly torn between himself ad safety. Thaelin watched the other boy carefully.

Cyril sighed and stepped closer. "I'll miss you, I think. You meant more than the others, Ael. But don't you dare come back. Ever. I don't need to tell you how stupid that would be." Cyril paused, and looked away, his throat swallowing reflexively. Then he turned back, and gently swept his lips over Thaelin's more uninjured cheek. "Goodbye," Cyril breathed, his breath hot against Thaelin's skin, and then the other boy was gone.

A few days later, when Thaelin could almost move normally again, he decided to move further into the city. If they found him… And they eventually would, he didn't want to be too isolated. It was very likely that his life depended on how many people heard him screaming for help.

He could walk on his own now, but he held no illusions that he was healing. His bruises were fading, yes, and his legs could support his weight again, but his ribs flared with white fire every time he moved too much or breathed too hard, and he was beginning to doubt that his jaw would ever be the same again.

Slowly, steadily, he crept through the shadows, grateful for the daily bustle in the streets that allowed him to move relatively unseen and unheard through the roads. It was hard enough trying to steal from people behind their backs while he was injured, but if the roads were empty and he had no place to run or no one to duck behind… That would just be suicide.

He grinned to himself weakly, trying to keep his spirits up. He had managed to steal some food that afternoon, along with a bolt of cheese, and he had already settled in a shadowed doorway to eat it.

He had to use his hand to help him chew, physically move his jaw up and down while he ate. He left the crust on the step beside him. It hurt enough anyway, and his eyes began watering involuntarily whenever he had to carefully close his mouth. Most of his food went half chewed at best anyway.

But tonight it seemed to hurt more. Thaelin gave up after two swallows and huddled down by the bottom of the door, ignoring his persistent stomach. He rather thought his jaw was going to stay like t was, because there was no way he could afford to see a Healer. But it hurt.

Lifting a shaking hand, he carefully traced the swelled line of his jaw, his fingertips barely touching the flesh.

Because thinking about his own problems made him depressed, he thought about other people instead. He hoped Kylan was all right. Kylan was with his Herald lover, with his new life at the Palace, because that was where all the Heralds stayed. Thaelin entertained himself for a while, thinking about all the parties and all the food and all the other benefits Heralds had. He supposed it wasn't too hard, being a Herald. All they did was judge a few things and stuff like that. The 'stuff' was rather vague in Thaelin's mind, but he knew it couldn't be all that important. And now Kylan was living that life… If he had lived. Thaelin rather thought he had. Kylan would be harder to kill than that, and he had a Herald who, in the brief moment Thaelin had seen him, proved he would do anything for Kylan. Thaelin smirked and remembered the hit. It had hurt, but he was used to worse. Much worse. So was Kylan, and Thaelin ahd no doubt that if the Herald ever hit Kylan, his friend would leave. Kylan was like that. Kylan had probably been his best friend when he had joined the band… Until he had met Cyril. 

Cyril was special in his own way too, Thaelin supposed, shifting until his ribs were more comfortable. Havens, Cyril might even be more important than Kylan in some aspects. Thaelin smothered a grin at the memory that inevitably came when he thought about Cyril. 

It had been their first night together, their first night together after the same assignment. Thaelin had been supposed to rob the house while Cyril killed the lord's mistress, who had been conveniently in the same room as the loot. 

There had been a lot of blood. He remembered it like it was yesterday, even though it had been a little over three years ago. And Cyril had waited for him, keeping watch until Thaelin had all the stuff the masters had wanted.

And then they had sped, exuberant in their success, half giggling in their silent gleeful hysteria, ad half shooting knowing glances at each other, which caused both of them to crack up further. That had been before Cyril had changed, and Thaelin had fancied himself in love.

He still loved Cyril, he knew that. Just like Cyril loved him. But Cyril had withdrawn into himself about a year ago, only, it seemed, wanting to hurt. Thaelin had no doubts that the dark eyed boy loved him. Cyril wouldn't have saved him, otherwise. And that was enough for him.

He sighed softly, half in pain and half in contentedness, and footsteps approached, making him stiffen up instinctively, which made his ribs flare painfully, which made him make a soft sound of pain.

The footsteps stopped. "Who's there?"

Thaelin didn't answer. He couldn't have moved his jaw even if he had wanted to. 

Another voice joined the first. "Answer us, halfwit. Who's there?"

Thaelin began to feel somewhat cornered, and since he couldn't move or speak, simply stayed silent, a habitual grin spreading across his face like well worn armor.

"Don't think we won't find you. We will. We know you're there, and we know you're not supposed to be. If you think you can escape, you're wrong. We're going to beat you up, and we're going to have fun doing it."

Thaelin felt his grin grow bigger, full of irony. Beat him up indeed. Didn't anybody realize that it was no fun beating people up if they were already too bruised and battered to care?

"We'll give you one last chance to answer us," the first voice called again, starting to sound angry. The words slurred a little.

'Great,' thought Thaelin, almost shaking his head at the quirk of fate. They were drunk, or at least well on their way to being slightly tipsy.

Heavy footsteps approached the stairs Thaelin was huddled on, and he curled into himself tighter, preferring to pretend he wasn't there at the moment. They would find him, he knew, and he'd probably be dead before dawn, because drunk people don't pull punches even when they meant to. And there seemed like there was more than one anyway.

A whimper escaped as the footsteps started up the stairs, and there was a brief exclamation of triumph before Thaelin felt himself being pulled down off the stairs and out of his protective huddle. He dropped to a crouch automatically, trying to ignore the pain in his ribs and his jaw, biting his lip and grinning understandingly as they laughed at him.

That was all right. He could see the funny side as well.

A heavy fist hit him on the back of his head while he was occupied with the two laughing in front of him, and he fell to his knees in surprise, gasping in pain as his ribs flared with a blinding white pain again.

"Look at his face," one of them joked to another. "We could try to make it –"

What they could make it, Thaelin never knew for certain, because there was a deafening chorus of bells –

_Bells? This late at night?_ –

and a white horse appeared in front of him, rearing and striking out at the drunkards, chasing them away until Thaelin and the horse were the only ones left on the abandoned street.

He glanced around, still holding a hand to his fiery ribs, and then grinned at the horse gratefully.

"Thanks," he started to say, and then she turned to face him directly, and he saw her eyes.

He saw a new world, unbelievable in it's magnitude of emotions, indescribable in it's vastness of utter love, and he embraced it to him, captivated and enthralled with the mere idea of being with her forever. 

And then he blinked, and it faded away, but she was still standing in front of him, those wondrous blue eyes still drawing him to her, her ears pricked.

_:Thaelin, you are my Chosen. I Choose you. My name is Jesalis, and you will never be alone again.:_

Extra AN: Honestly. Who never saw that coming? :D It was surprisingly hard to write him getting chosen… I kept wanting to impart some of lavan's choosing, because that was the only one that made me cry in and of itself (all right, so I cried during magic's pawn, but that was mostly because 'lendel died T.T) … Anyway, after that bit of random fact, I hope you enjoyed it ^^ Please review!! XD


	2. Coan: Making Introductions

Title: Lawbreaker's Eyes

Author: I_nv_u50

Rating: PG13 

Disclaimer/Claimer: Characters so far are mine, but the world is Mercedes Lackey's. 

Warning: Slash (m/m) ahead. 

Author's Notes: Chapter two :D A note on Coan (yes, it _is_ pronounced like ice cream _cone_ XD) – he goes through personality changes when he's in the house of healing and when he's not. Basically, when he's with the healer's he's more friendly and more likely to make an effort at being friendly :D And empathy isn't his only gift, although it is his most prominent.

ola  ~  lol does reading in the dark work? Luckily I have no windows to my computer room, but that doesn't stop my brother from bothering me… I wonder if lights off would work on him O.o;; lol he's 'gooder' (won't say better, cause that implies personality wise too . … I'm so weird O.o;;;;) than kylan in that he hasn't killed anyone (knowingly) but he is a thief, so he isn't the best. I suppose he can expect the same amount of treatment as skif gets :D I like skif too ^^ anyway, yea, this story is from his pov as well as from coan's… you get to see kylan through thaelin's eyes =P thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

crystal  ~  Thanks for reviewing ^^ I'm glad you like it ^^ Please review again!! ^^

darkdancer  ~  lol Yea :D kylan gets a real surprise :D brynn knows before kylan, because he has to teach thaelin in the orientation's class, right? :D as such, kylan doesn't even know that thaelin is alive O.o;; imagine his shock XD thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

Sukura  ~  Thank you ^^ I'm glad you enjoyed that one, I can only hope that you like this one too ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

TeeDee  ~  Definitely plan on updating this story :D Hope you have a great vacation :D Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

MajikzPawn  ~  heh… I guess it was more obvious for me cuz I was planning it O.o;; oh well… all the better that it was a surprise, right? O.o;;; And yea, that's how you pronounce coan's name. I'm beginning to wonder where I get these names O.o;; oh well ^^ lol don't worry. Next chapter will be long cuz a lot happens there… erk O.o; I thought I caught all of them O.o;; ah sorry about that then ^^;; yep. But only from thaelin's pov, and maybe from coan's… not entirely sure about that yet, but anyway O.o;; thanks for reviewing, I hope you do it again!! ^^

Cathryn M. Guthrie  ~  Thanks ^^ I didn't cry so much for magic's price though O.o;;; I guess I was feeling more sentimental through the first book O.o; I'm strange like that :D I'm glad you like this one as much ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

etcetera-cat  ~  lol Glad you like Jesalis :D nyeh… thaelin pulls through. He's used to it anyway. He's learnt how to smile through the whole time T.T idiot boy that he is :D lol thanks :D I rather liked the idea myself ^~;;; will update ASAP :D thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

Tsukinoko  ~  He appreciates the concern :D Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

Maischeph-Vanscrilla-Black  ~  Glad you liked it :D delighted that it was unexpected :D I was hoping it would be too obvious, but it obviously wasn't as much as I had thought it was, so that's all well and good :D Yea, it's that song :D I'm not entirely sure what it's called off the top of my head, but that's the one ^^ yea… I mutter aloud too… the worst is definitely when you start arguing with yourself XD Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

Fireblade  ~  Thanks :D XD = laughing… basically… I think. With closed eyes or something O.o;;  kinda the facey-thingy of lol ^~ thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

Stee  ~  lol kylan didn't ask about thaelin, because as far as he knows, thaelin is still beng beaten in the main house. Brynn knows already, but he hasn't told kylan because he's still somewhat a jealous bastard . don't worry though :D kylan finds out soon enough ^^ and yea, this whole story is from thaelin/coan point of view… makes a change O.o;; thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

Risu  ~  Thanks ^^ I'm glad you liked it :D Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

The Golden Dragon  ~  Congrats! Although it sucks that the computer is slow :D I've had problems with _that_ in my past XD yea… I'm beginning to get real fond of Cyril, despite myself O.o;; dangit. I hate it when that happens… you try so hard to dislike a perfectly good horrible acting character and then they make you like them. hmph. :D lol. Glad you didn't see it coming :D surprises are always good, right? :D I didn't cry so much the last two LHM books… and I only cried when lan got chosen and when kalira and he died T.T the rest of the time, I was like: "you go boy!! XD" … _any_ways… lol… thanks for the inspiration.. gonna need it for next chapter, cuz that one's a biggie… ack… anyway, thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

That's about it…. And in case anyone's wondering, this time frame is directly alongside the end of _Murderer's Touch_. Basically, the day that Coan wanders into Thaelin's room in this chapter, is the same day that kylan and brynn go out for their ride. Which means thaelin got chosen the evening of kylan's temper tantrum day. Is that clear to anyone but myself or did I ramble complete junk again? XD anyways, read, enjoy, and please review!! ^^  

Coan wandered through the Healing House, greeting passing Healers and Trainees with a small smile and a curt nod. Coming to a closed door made him pause, and glance around. A passing Healer noticed.

"You can go in, Coan, but don't expect her to talk to you. She hasn't said anything to anybody yet."

Coan shrugged ever so slightly. "Maybe I can help."

The Healer sighed. "I'm not sure if even your empathy is enough for her, but you can certainly try. If she's sleeping, don't disturb her, no matter what. She's been awake for a few days now, and she needs the rest. Ignore her nightmares; it's better for her than being awake. At least this way, she can start helping herself heal."

Coan gave another acknowledging nod, and opened the door quietly to slip in. 

There was a shape huddled under the blankets, and soft, muffled breathing filled the air, deep and even enough to convince Coan that the patient was indeed asleep. He paused on the threshold, and watched for a minute, waiting for any indication that she might be pretending to be asleep. Painful feelings smothered the air around him, and something inside him began to ache dully as a sort of echo, but she was indeed asleep. The force of her nightmares proved it. 

The Healer's words reminded him that he wasn't supposed to wake her up, but even so, a pang of utter hysteria made that command a little difficult to remember and obey. He darted out of the room and closed the door behind him quickly and quietly, leaning against it weakly for a moment to catch his breath.

His vision was spiraling dizzily.

_:Coan? Are you all right?:_

Coan drew in a shaky breath. _:Fine,:_ he returned reassuringly, reciprocating the inquiry with a mental hug. _:Aren't you supposed to be busy?:_

Faolan quickly responded with a mental snort. _:As if.:_

Coan bit back laughter and straightened up to walk down the hallway. He stopped outside another closed door a little further down. Glancing around, there appeared to be no Healers within the vicinity, and he eyed the door handle again. _:Do you think it's all right?:_

Faolan considered it thoughtfully, his thoughts distracted. _:So long as you don't wake up the patient, it should be fine.:_

Coan didn't bother to reply, merely opening the door quietly. The person sitting on the bed stopped taking, and turned to stare at him inquiringly. The person _in_ the bed merely glared at him. 

"Sorry," Coan answered the glare. "Didn't know you had a visitor. Excuse me," and he turned and left the room quickly.

Faolan laughed at him. _:Couldn't have been smoother, could you?:_ the Companion teased.

"Shut up," Coan mumbled, his cheeks heating up slightly. "I didn't mean to."

His Companion merely laughed at him again, an affectionate note in his mental snicker. Coan shook his head blatantly and continued down the hallway, pausing as a Healer left the room in front of him, turning around to call something back in to the room.

The Healer shut the door and saw him. "Coan! Just the person I wanted to see! Your newest Trainee is in here," the Healer gestured to the room he had just left. "And I know he's not telling me something. He's pretending to be fine, but even though my own empathy is small, it can still tell he's feeling anything but fine. Want to give it a try?"

Coan shrugged. "Don't mind. What do you mean, 'my newest trainee'?"

The Healer grinned at him. "Well, not really yours. He's the latest Herald Trainee though, and that means you get him along with the other trainees, right?"

Coan blinked. He hadn't thought the trainees were that obvious about being friendly and helpful to new trainees, but apparently they were. "Sure," he replied slowly.

The Healer winked at him, and pulled open the door, waving him in.

Coan spared one last dubious look for the older man, and walked into the room. 

Somebody was standing by the open window, leaning on the windowsill heavily, and arguing in what might have been a playful manner with the Companion standing outside. He looked to be in rather bad condition, but Coan knew that that was rather a given, what with this being the healing house and all. The other boy was wearing the standard nightclothes for the House of Healing, but Coan could see bandages wrapped around the boy's otherwise bare legs, and his arms were rather heavily bandaged as well.

The other boy turned around quickly, his face freezing in a wary, but somehow unsuspecting mask. Coan blinked at him. The patient had dark black hair, with slightly reddish tints to the light highlights, and his face was black and blue and some sort of sickly yellow.

Coan stepped forward a step. "I'm Coan," he offered quietly, his empathy letting him know exactly how unsure the boy was feeling. "I'm a Herald Trainee too. I sometimes work here because my Gift helps some people a lot. Who are you?"

The other boy opened his mouth to speak, and Coan noticed his jaw. It was bruised more than the rest of his face, and was slightly disfigured, but in a way that showed it was healing slowly. Coan looked at it, and felt a wave of sympathy creep up from somewhere, but he quickly repressed the feeling. There was a lot of people hurt worse than this boy in this very building. 

"Thaelin," the other boy croaked out. "M'name's Thaelin. Are you really a Herald Trainee?"

"Yea," Coan replied hesitantly, still eyeing the jaw. "How'd you get hurt?"

Thaelin grinned. "Nothing special, I'm afraid."

_:How can he grin like that?:_ Coan asked Faolin, troubled. _:I can Feel him hurting.:_

Out loud, he offered a small smile and said, "Hope you're doing better then. Anything you want to ask about Heralds?"

_:I don't know, Coan. I could ask his Companion, but that's not really polite.:_

Thaelin looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned his head over his shoulder to stare at his Companion. "Don't know," the black haired boy mumbled quietly. 

Coan blinked and smiled again, this time directing it at the Companion. "Heyla, Jesalis. Didn't know you had Chosen."

Jesalis snorted and bobbed her head, her eyes gleaming mischievously, and Thaelin turned again to blink at him. "How'd you know it was her?"

_:I suppose it's not. Especially if Jesalis feels it's prying.:_

Coan shrugged, letting his smile grow to a grin as he replied to both Faolan and Thaelin. "Most Trainees know all the Companions if they've been here long enough. Obviously the first one you recognize on sight is your own, but you eventually place names to the others."

Jesalis shook her head and whickered, and Thaelin leaned back against the wall, shaking his own head. "I don't think I can do this," he said quietly, to himself, before looking back up at Coan with another grin.

Coan tilted his head thoughtfully, making his face blank. "You don't really have a choice. Would you really give up Jesalis though?"

A thrill of panic raced through the air and made Coan shiver slightly. Who was this boy?

"Never," Thaelin, responded quietly, and smiled a smile that looked tender despite the wide array of unnatural colours on his face.

Coan sensed his presence was not needed that much anymore, and smiled in return, inclining his head. "I'll be around if you want to talk to me again. See you later,"

Thaelin nodded blissfully, his attention already fully occupied by his Companion who had stuck her head through the window. 

Coan smiled genuinely at the sight, and turned and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

_:All right, Chosen?:_

"Fine," Coan replied shortly. "Quit meddling," he added, teasingly.

Faolan sent through exasperation. _:Don't be such a spoilsport, little love. I'll worry when I want.:_

"Right," Coan mumbled, and hid a grin. 

When he sat down to lunch later on, he noticed another trainee staring at him. It annoyed him, and made him slightly nervous, so he ignored it as best he could, and continued eating.

To his somewhat irritated surprise, she didn't stop staring, although he had no idea why she had started in the first place. His eyes were too dark a brown to be attractive, looking like hollow tunnels when he glanced in the mirror, and his hair was too plain a brown to be considered eye-catching. He was too thin, and while he wasn't short, he wasn't nearly tall enough in his opinion.

Faolan snorted in his mind. _:Don't be ridiculous, Coan. You're not that bad looking.:_

Coan was hard pressed not to snort back. He scowled instead, unconsciously directing it at the girl, who flushed and looked away. He blinked; slightly surprised before he realized whom he had scowled at, then shrugged mentally.

Faolan grumbled into his mind. _:You could have given her a chance, Chosen. How could you hate being lonely and still never do a thing about it?:_

Coan shrugged, and swallowed another mouthful. "Dunno," he answered, as nonchalantly as he could.

He Felt Faolan's annoyance, and cut the Companion off before Faolan could put it into words. _:Yes, all right, I know, I can't drown myself in self pity if I make no move to help myself, stuff like that. You've told me all this before, Faolan.:_

_:Then why don't you do something about it?:_ His Companion countered, sounding piqued. 

Coan shrugged again. "Dunno," he said aloud.

Faolan didn't reply.

After lunch, because he wasn't doing any chores today, he wandered off down to the Companion's Field, to idle the time away with Faolan. His Companion was waiting for him by the fence, cropping the grass to keep busy, but he stopped when Coan approached.

_:Anything special to do today Coan?:_

Coan shook his head slowly and climbed on top the fence to sit there, perched steadily with his feet hooked around one of the lower planks of wood. "Don't think so. Have a class later, but that's not for a candlemark or so."

_:Good.:_ Faolan lowered his neck a little and lifted his head so he was staring up at Coan. His sky blue eyes glinted playfully. _:Want to go for a ride?:_

Coan couldn't help laughing at the wistfully hopeful and playful expression in his Companion's eyes. "With you? Always," he grinned.

Faolan shook his head, nickering. _:Glad to hear it, Chosen. Glad to hear it.:_

"Ah," Coan teased, climbing easily from the fence to Faolan's back. "But did you ever really have any doubt?"

Faolan looked back at him with one eye, his expression suddenly gleefully loving. _:Never, Coan. No doubt what so ever.:_

Coan felt a lump begin to generate in his throat, and he cleared it, smiling somewhat sunnily back at his Companion. "Thank you," he whispered quietly, knowing Faolan would hear no matter how quietly he said it.

Faolan cocked his ears back slightly. _:It's my pleasure, Coan. Now all we need to do is get over your problem with other people, and we'll never have any trouble.:_

It was only the still teasing note in Faolan's mind voice as he said this last, that prevented Coan from becoming all sullen. But then, maybe it was more than that.

Faolan whickered back a laugh at him. _:Lighten up, Coan. Life's not all that bad, is it?:_

Coan didn't answer, thinking it over honestly. Faolan took this as a good sign and began to move, quickly starting to canter once he felt Coan begin to realize things.

"You did that on purpose," Coan said, his words whipped away by the wind they were creating. But he still knew Faolan heard.

_:Of course I did.:_ Faolan retorted. _:It wouldn't be fun if I had to figure everything out for you then argue with you until you agreed I was right.:_

Coan sighed, and leant forward slightly, ducking so as not to be so wind resistant. "All right then. I agree. I'm an idiot."

_:Have any ideas about how to stop then?:_

"Not yet," Coan admitted.

_:Well, you've realized it, at least. That's the first step, admitting it.:_

"Only for you, Faolan. Only for you."

There was silence for a moment, and then Faolan sped up into a gallop, racing around the perimeter. _:I'd rather it was for yourself, Coan. It should be for yourself.:_

Coan merely shrugged and bent lower, ducking his face into his Companion's flying, wind tossed mane. 


	3. Thaelin: Settling In

Title: Lawbreaker's Eyes

Author: I_nv_u50

Rating: PG13 

Disclaimer/Claimer: Characters so far are mine, but the world is Mercedes Lackey's. 

Warning: Slash (m/m) ahead. 

Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long to get out. I'm in a rush now, so I can't answer all the reviews individually, but thanks so much for reviewing if you did ^^ I'm glad you're enjoying this one as well ^^ The next chapter will be up much sooner than this one was, honestly. Look for it definitely by the middle of august ^^ As for questions, Coan just doesn't like people. He's nicer in the healing house because sympathy and his empathy shows him how wrong it would be for him to be rude, and besides, he feels more at ease there. Outside of there, the only place he feels truly comfortable is with faolan. He just doesn't like people at all. It confuses people he met in the healing house, but they accept it after a while. He's polite and stuff, he's just not friendly. Or something O.o;

Anyway, I'm sorry again for the long wait, and I really will have the next chapter up by the fifteenth or so. Read, enjoy, and please review!! ^^

Thaelin gawked around at the study, eyeing all the books and the loose sheets of paper dubiously. Herald Elan, Dean of the Collegium, was sitting behind a rather large desk and staring at him.

Thaelin grinned brightly back in return, but didn't speak. 

Elan eventually sighed softly. "All right. Would you like to tell me anything about yourself? How you got injured, for instance?"

"Nothing important," Thaelin managed to say. His jaw was already hurting less, and he was incredibly grateful to the Healers for speeding up the process. He was less grateful to the Dean for sending him to school, but he supposed the full Herald had a reason. "I got beat up on the streets, like I said."

Elan lifted a brow questioningly. "Are you sure? My Companion tells me that Jesalis says you were injured before that."

Thaelin spared a moment to send what might have been a quick mental glare to his companion. He loved her, and he wouldn't change her for the world or for the Havens, but she didn't really have any business telling people things like that. If they knew the truth, they could get hurt. Thaelin shrugged in reply to the older man's question though. "Rough life."

Herald Elan hummed thoughtfully and inscrutably. "You're a thief, aren't you?"

"Yes." Thaelin didn't see any point of lying about that. They'd probably all know eventually anyway. 

"You know that you aren't going to continue that line of work while you're here? While you're a Herald at all, in fact."

Thaelin smiled at the thought of a Herald as a common thief. "I'd be more surprised if you'd want me to continue stealing."

Elan looked thoughtful again and eyed him. "You'll find that there's a need for everything occasionally, Thaelin, and… Well, I expect you're right for the moment. Do you actually know what Heralds do?"

Thaelin shook his head in answer. "Not really."

Elan smiled a small smile. "The first thing we're going to get you to do then is to go to an Orientation class then. You already know where your room is, right?"

"Yeah," Thaelin murmured, his mind suddenly preoccupied with the thought of his own room. _His own room_. Not to be shared with other people of questionable characters and intentions, his own room with a comfortable bed and a desk and a wardrobe, a room with its own fireplace and small chair. _His own room._

"Good," Elan smiled a larger smile this time, and stood up, holding out a hand. "I'll show you the way to your Orientation classroom."

Thaelin wandered through the hallways, alone and completely lost, had he thought about it. Herald Elan had had to leave because of a slight mishap with a Firestarter student, who apparently had had to be sent to the Healers for a while. 

Thaelin had accepted the Herald's profuse apologies with a grin and had tried to hide his own confusion about where he was. Elan had given him basic directions on where to go from where he had been left, but Thaelin hadn't really been paying attention. He regretted it now, certainly.

_:Stop dawdling, Chosen.:_

"I'm not," Thaelin answered, half playfully. "I'm admiring the sights, is all."

Jesalis snorted in his mind, and he grinned, both physically and mentally. 

"I am!" he insisted.

_:Admire the sights on your way to class then.:_ she told him in no uncertain terms. _:There's a surprise waiting for you there.:_

"Really?" Thaelin asked, half curiously. Without waiting for a reply, he pushed open the door he was standing at and walked a few steps in, blinking around at the faces staring at him in surprise.

"Uh… Is this the Orientation classroom?" he asked hesitantly, his gaze going automatically to the adult of the group, a middle aged looking woman wearing Heraldic Whites. 

She smiled at him kindly. "No, not quite. You're just a little lost."

"Just a little," Thaelin repeated, and grinned at her, pushing away his slight embarrassment and the natural suspicion most adults seemed to draw from him; pushed them away until he was barely aware of them himself.

The lady's smile grew into a grin, but it wasn't mocking, and she glanced around the classroom. "Coan, you understand the work, right?"

Thaelin blinked in surprise at the suddenly familiar looking boy he had last seen in the House of Healing. The brown haired boy ignored him.

"Yes."

"Would you show our new Trainee over to the correct classroom?"

"All right," the other boy replied quietly. Thaelin could see that he was really quite reluctant.

"No, that's all right actually. I'll just find it myself," he started, only to be waved into silence by the Herald.

"Don't be silly," she told him briskly, her smile still friendly. "Coan understands the work, so he isn't missing anything anyway. And he'll be back in a few moments to help me explain it to the others."

Thaelin, unable to find any way to object to this, merely inclined his head submissively. He should have known better than to try and argue with an adult.

He followed Coan out the door and offered a grin to the aloof looking boy. He looked quite different than he had when he offered to tell Thaelin about Heralds back in the Healing House. "Sorry."

Coan shrugged dispassionately. "It's all right."

They walked in silence for a few moments before Thaelin tried again. "I saw you in the House of Healing, didn't I? Do you go there often?"

"Yes."

Thaelin wasn't sure which question the other boy had answered. He attempted to try one last time. "…"

Coan glanced at him somewhat curiously when Thaelin opened his mouth silently, but as no speech appeared forthcoming, faced ahead again, leaving Thaelin burning in confusion and mortification, even as he let his mouth relax into a commonplace grin.

Coan stopped outside a door a few corners away from the classroom Thaelin had tried. "This is it."

Thaelin glanced at the other boy, trying to see any reaction, and finally gave up, shrugging mentally. Jesalis chortled in his mind.

When he opened the door, however, Thaelin immediately forgot about the confusing boy still standing beside him, because he saw a friend.

A real friend, in a place like this, and even better was the fact that Kylan _had_ survived after all. It was a worry that Thaelin had never consciously realized until it had been eased, and he barely registered the surprise on Coan's face, or the expression on the Herald teaching the class as he bounced his way over to one of his best friends, who was looking absolutely stunned.

"Thank you, Coan," Brynn said quietly, bringing Thaelin jolting out of the happy haze of ecstatic surprise that he had almost started drifting in. 

He beamed at the Herald Trainee in the doorway. "Thank you," he repeated, vaguely realizing that his voice sounded almost ridiculously sing-songish, and turned back to Kylan, who appeared to be getting over his shock.

"What are you doing here?" Kylan spoke first. "I thought you had died!"

"Almost did," Thaelin replied cheekily, not noticing as Coan silently left the classroom. He winked. "I'm not easy to kill though, as I'm sure you've figured out."

Kylan smirked and was about to reply, when Brynn cleared his throat rather obviously from the front of the class. Kylan transferred his attention to the Herald, and Thaelin was rather surprised to see the blissful amount of love reflected in the blue eyes, and he grinned happily in reply, even if it wasn't aimed at him.

He didn't mind. He had never loved Kylan as more than a friend, and he was happy that his fellow criminal seemed to be so happy.

"Now," Brynn said wryly, although the slightly tender look in his eyes was plain to Thaelin even at the back of the classroom. "Are you two finished?"

Thaelin smirked. "Ready when you are, m'lord Herald."

Brynn shot him a Look that was friendlier than the last time Thaelin had met the Herald. "You can catch up later, I have a class to teach, and you're being disruptive."

Thaelin idly wondered if the Herald sounded more tolerant than he felt, then decided he didn't care.

"Go on, milord Herald."

Brynn gave him another exasperated look, and started talking, whisking Thaelin into a world where King Valdemar needed help to rule his new kingdom.

"So how did you get out?" Kylan lounged back on the grass under Brynn's window.

Thaelin smiled, somewhat sadly. "Cyril."

Kylan looked surprised. "You mean he actually listened? What did you do?"

Thaelin looked up, maybe a little sharper than usual. "He did it on his own. I had a broken jaw, remember?"

Kylan held up his hands placatingly. "Ease down, Thae. I'm just surprised, that's all. He doesn't usually help people like that."

Thaelin shrugged non comitally and felt the first flash of dread spread through his body when Kylan's expression faded into a slyly thoughtful one. 

"Or maybe it was because it was _you_," the blonde said.

Thaelin forced a laugh. "Whatever, Kyl. Come on, tell me what it's like living with the Heralds."

Kylan shot him a dry look. "I expect you'll find out for yourself soon enough. It's not like I'm actually _living_ like a Herald anyway. And don't change the subject."

Thaelin smirked and stretched, sitting up in the first stage to get to his feet. "I'd better get going."

Kylan laughed. "Sure, whatever. Just give me a moment to persuade Mr. Implacable in there, and I'll come see where you're sleeping."

Thaelin grinned at the other boy suspiciously. "What are you planning to do?"

"Me?" Kylan beamed innocently. Thaelin didn't believe it at all. 

"Yea, you."

"Nothing at all. I just wanna come visit some nights or something."

Thaelin lifted an eyebrow and stood up, swinging his arms energetically. "And maybe spread some mud on my bed?"

Kylan winked in what might have been a flirtatious way had Thaelin not known that the blonde and the Herald were inseparable, and stood up. "Well, it happens, you know. And admit it," he glanced over his shoulder as he started walking inside Brynn's suite. "It'll feel more like home if I do."

Thaelin shoved Kylan out the door with some difficulty, laughing as he did so. It was hard to keep from laughing when around Kylan. It was either laugh or kill the blonde, which was actually a tough choice sometimes.

Thaelin always chose to laugh though. With his own cheerful mask growing cracks in it that he couldn't hide from some people anymore, he needed all the amusement he could get. It was the only thing keeping him from thinking too much about less pleasant things.

_:That mask of yours has to go.:_

"I don't know what you're talking about," Thaelin answered the imperious voice in his head, and sat down in front of the fireplace, idly wondering if it was considered too hot to start a fire.

_:You know very well what I mean.:_ Jesalis continued, running over his denial as if it weren't there. _:I know it's your defense mechanism, but you don't need it anymore. We're all trustworthy here.:_

Thaelin shrugged, feeling for sure that she'd know he had done it. "It's not only that," he tried to protest again, but Jesalis continued ruthlessly.

:We aren't actually that scary. Trust us. Trust me. You do, don't you? Nobody here is going to hurt you, so what harm can it do to let your mask go occasionally? Show people there's more to you than jokes and smiles.:

"Are you so sure there is though?" Thaelin asked quietly, not knowing if he meant the question or not.

Jesalis snorted loudly in his mind. :I know. Absolutely positive that there's more. I Chose you, remember? We Companions don't make mistakes about Choosing people. We're above that.:

Thaelin grinned at the teasingly superior tone she had adopted for the last statement. "Of course you are," he said smoothly.

There was a pause. :I meant that.:

"I know you did," Thaelin responded. 

:Seriously.: Jesalis said suspiciously.

"Of course you did," Thaelin replied soothingly, grinning as her exasperation drifted over.

:Humans!: She snorted.

Thaelin laughed at her, honestly meaning it.

There was another pause. And then Jesalis spoke again, her voice softly serious. :I did mean it, Thaelin. Honestly. There's more to you than even you see. I know it. I can feel it. I can see it. Seriously.:

Thaelin's grin faded to a smile of pure happiness, enjoying the warm glow that was spreading through his chest. "Thank you," he replied softly, and he meant that too. 


	4. Coan: Friendly Offer

Title: Lawbreaker's Eyes

Author: I_nv_u50

Rating: PG13 

Disclaimer/Claimer: Characters so far are mine, but the world is Mercedes Lackey's. 

Warning: Slash (m/m) ahead. 

Author's Notes: Whee, that was out quicker than I thought it'd be O.o;; I'll try and get the next one out as quickly, but no promises =P

**futagoakuma-tenshi02**  ~  I'm glad you're enjoying it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**colie**  ~  Er . Heh heh ^^;;; Yea… me too actually . Obviously =P Ah well. Now I'm (hopefully) back on track again, there'll be updates all around!! Whoopee!!!?!  I'm glad you're enjoying it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

**Kouryou Sanomi**  ~  Heh ^^ Glad you like it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**Cathryn M. Guthrie**  ~  lol Hope you don't do that =P I'm glad you like it so much ^^ hanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

For chapter 2: O.o;

**colie**  ~  Heh ^^ I'm glad it was a surprise :D wouldn't it be cool for father's to suddenly become slash fans? :D My father seems to like gay people… he doesn't like Ralph klein either ^^ (is proud of daddy =P) … . er… yea… anyways, I'll be going now O.o; thanks for reviewing :D

**darkdancer**  ~  Coan doesn't know he's shaych yet. Faolan doesn't know he is either yet O.o; they're all a bunch of clueless peeps XD But faolan does work it out faster but then jesalis tells him to shut his trap. Sorta O.o; thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**Sukura**  ~  I'm glad you're enjoying it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**Song Dancing**  ~  He will be :D not yet, but he will eventually be ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**ola**  ~  I had a squirrel pull faces at me the other day. He screamed at me, and when I gave him nuts he ran away. Silly little rodent XD I'm glad you enjoy it ^^ Yea, there's a little special 'something' in the air :D That's all right. Call him however you want. So long as it sounds good, it's all good, right? XD Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**Stee**  ~  Heh, I'm glad ^^ Actually, Coan just doesn't like people O.o; weirdo that he is :D Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**Cathryn M. Guthrie**  ~  O.o; I suppose it's all right ^^;; lol hope you're computer continues to live =P Thanks for reviewing :D

**The Golden Dragon**  ~  Yea. What kind of freak doesn't like ice cream? =P it's just not possible, I tell you :D Gravi comes out in a few days :D … tomorrow!! OMG it comes out tomorrow!! XD Mm… can't wait :D and the second FAKE manga was hilarious :D Go dee, right?! Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

Er… I'm not entirely sure I had to do that, but it was fun ^^ I hope everyone comes back to read this T.T I got so few reviews for ch3 T.T Ah well. I'll try to have the next chapter out in a _short_ while! ^^

Read, enjoy, and please review!! ^^

The way Thaelin had bounced into the classroom had surprised Coan, very vaguely. It was the complete opposite of how he had moved into Coan's classroom.

Even stranger was the fact that he had bounced all the way to the one boy not wearing any uniform. Coan watched Thaelin with some confusion, until Herald Brynn thanked him, upon which Thaelin had spun around and said 'Thank you' too – in the most alarmingly sing-songy tone.

Coan nodded imperceptibly, slightly annoyed because Thaelin hadn't seen it, on account of the other boy turning around again. He heard the blonde boy say something about dying, and ignored it, nodding again to the Herald teaching the class before leaving.

He had known Thaelin had been beaten up. There was usually only one reason for being a patient in the House of Healing, so he had to have been injured badly…

But almost killed?

Despite the life of the Heralds, despite how tricky and usually dangerous it could be, most of the trainees had never been around death all that much. At least, not the death of another trainee. It didn't happen very often, and the last recorded case Coan could remember off the top of his head was Tylendel, of the Last Herald Mage's time. But that had been a special case.

It disturbed Coan that this trainee had been 'thought dead' by anyone, even someone not in uniform. Who was he, to be so happy when he had almost died?

He entered his own classroom distractedly, and made his way to his seat in a half daze, his mind too busy contemplating the new trainee and the facets and complications that came with to notice that Herald Ailis was calling him.

When he did eventually notice, he realized she was looking at him with concern. 

Seeing that she had finally caught his attention, Ailis continued. "Are you feeling all right? You're awfully pale."

Realizing quite suddenly that he _didn't_ feel all right, Coan shook his head slowly. "May I be excused?"

Ailis gave him another concerned look. "Maybe you should go lie down for a while. You know this work, it's all right. Go see a Healer if it gets too bad, all right?"

Coan nodded submissively. He'd be damned if he went to a Healer, but it wouldn't do any good to tell her that. 

Ailis looked at him searchingly. "I mean it, Coan. Go see a Healer if you feel too bad. You're no help to anyone if you're too sick to think clearly."

Coan nodded, knowing she meant well. He might spend some more time in the Healers' House, given that now he had some free time.

Or maybe he would go visit Faolan.

_:Yes. Come visit me. It's terribly boring here.:_

Coan managed to get out the classroom and shut the door behind him before he grinned at the piqued sound to his Companion's mental voice. "You aren't supposed to encourage me missing school, you know."

Faolan snorted, and Coan started walking the quickest route to the Field.

:It's not like you would have concentrated on anything but Jesalis' Chosen anyway.:

Coan flushed lightly, reading the innuendo in there all too well. "It's not like that."

:I know.: Faolan amended soothingly. :But it bothers you that he almost died, doesn't it?:

"Of course it does," Coan snapped, stepping out into the sunlight and changing his direction slightly. "Meet me at the stables."

:I'm not saying you shouldn't be worried, but you shouldn't worry this much. It's fine now. We're safe until you go on your Circuit Ride anyway. And you don't need a saddle, and I don't feel like wearing one.:

Coan smirked slightly. "Actually, I was planning to groom you, but all right. And we're not perfectly safe here anyway. We're more safe here than anywhere else, but things and people can break in, you know."

:Oh, it's a grooming, is it? Then I might submit to your wishes, Oh Bright One. And we're as safe as we're ever going to be again, so you might as well forget it. It doesn't do well to be paranoid for no reason, Coan.:

Coan grunted in reply, and didn't say anything else.

:Further down and lower to the left.:

Coan looked up from his task with a half serious glare. "I know where the knot is. What have you been doing to put your tail in such a state?"

Faolan looked back at him cheekily, blue eye sparkling with teasing mirth. :That's not for you to know, little love. And I know you know where the knot is. The question is, did you know that I knew that you knew?:

"That I knew that you knew that I knew that you did? Yes, I did. And fine, if you don't want to tell me, I'll just have to find out for myself."

:By all means, go ahead and try.: Faolan yawned, and shook his head lazily. :But I don't think you can.:

"Wanna bet?" Coan tried to sound tough.

Faolan whickered a laugh. :What would you like to bet, little love? I have some oats available still, I think.: He lifted his head slightly higher, presumably to check his grain bucket. :Nevermind.:

Coan didn't try to suppress the laughter that bubbled up, knowing it would be impossible around Faolan. "Oh fine then."

Faolan gave a cheerful snort, and looked back at Coan. :Now if you could start on my mane…:

Coan rolled his eyes, but grinned anyway. "It's getting too long."

Faolan looked frankly scandalized, an expression Coan hadn't ever seen on a horse before being Chosen. :Cut my mane? You plebian. That's barbaric!:

Coan grinned and tugged the tail before letting it go. "Oh, quit your whining. I wouldn't without your permission, you know that."

Faolan snickered into his mind. :I know that, yea. The question is, would you really do that?:

"Wait for permission? Of course," Coan said blandly.

Faolan gave him a mockingly dubious look, and shook his head again. :Start brushing.:

Coan obeyed, quite happy to, and when he had finally brushed the last strand, he went to the stable door and took some things out of the grooming kit hanging up there. 

Faolan pricked his ears curiously, and Coan answered without being asked directly. "Can I plait your mane?"

Faolan bobbed his head in reply, and Coan grinned before starting, his fingers deftly and quickly sectioning off the parts of the thick mane. He worked in the comfortable silence until his third plait, upon which he began to ask.

"Have you talked to Jesalis lately?"

Faolan didn't move his head, but Coan felt the Companion's amused suspicion in his mind. He blushed lightly. "It's not like that," he said defensively to the silent but still teasing accusations.

:What would you like me to ask?:

Coan thought for a moment. "I don't know. See if she's willing to tell me anything I don't know already?"

There was a short, distracted mental silence. Coan moved onto the next plait.

Faolan snorted sheepishly. :She says to butt out. And she gave some quite good advice, actually.:

Coan rolled his eyes, sensing what was coming next, but he stayed quiet.

:She says you should ask him yourself.:

"I don't want to know that badly," Coan muttered and Faolan whickered laughter again, his voice teasing when he spoke once more.

:How did I know you'd say that? Come on Coan, it'll be good for you to have a friend. You know Heralds are supposed to be a team. What kind of team member are you going to be if you do your best to ignore everyone else?:

Coan scowled, and his fingers pulled sharply. Faolan stamped a foot. "I don't need any friends."

:Don't pull my hair.: Faolan countered somewhat sharply. :And you do need friends. It's not healthy for you to lock yourself away from company.:

"Why do I need them when I have you?" Coan asked sullenly, tying the second last braid and moving onto the last one. 

:You need human friends, Coan. You know that. At least give this boy a chance. He seemed to like you earlier. Don't blow it.:

"Fine," Coan sighed in disgust. "I'll try, all right? You happy now?"

Faolan turned his head and bumped Coan's shoulder affectionately. :It's for the best, little love. I can't be everything you need. It'll be fine.:

Coan was still silently muttering when he knocked on Thaelin's door that night.

Faolan had managed to pry the information of the new trainee's quarters out of Jesalis, but Coan suspected that the female Companion had only relented because she wanted someone to visit her Chosen. 

Coan was still trying to figure out why he was the designated when the door opened, and he was met with rather surprised blue eyes. It wasn't Thaelin though. This boy had blonde hair. He looked like the un-uniformed boy from class earlier.

"Who are you?" The stranger asked bluntly.

From inside the room, someone else said something, and the blonde looked over his shoulder. "Checking for weapons, of course!" Coan heard him say, and then the blonde was pushed out of the way by Thaelin, who looked more surprised than Coan felt.

And that was saying something.

"Coan?" Thaelin asked, eyes wide. They were a curious color of what appeared to be silver and gold mixed, adding an extraordinary yet strikingly attractive feature to an already eye-catching face. Aside from the still faintly showing bruises, anyway. "What are you doing here?"

Coan searched for words to say, and couldn't find any. He was about to give up and say "Nothing", when the blonde boy, pulled Thaelin back into the room and blocked the door. 

"What are you doing here? Thae taking on lovers already?"

Coan felt slightly lightheaded with the speed and force of his blush. Back in the room, Thaelin made an outraged sound.

"Kylan! Get out of it! Stop bothering him!" The blonde disappeared from the door, and Thaelin stepped out, firmly pulling the door closed behind him. Kylan knocked from inside the room. Thaelin blatantly ignored him. He was still red. "Sorry about him. He's just… him."

Coan nodded in what he hoped was a vaguely understanding way. He could Feel the embarrassment rolling of the other Trainee in waves, and was kind of surprised that Thaelin could grin so light heartedly. Even his blush was fading. "It's… all right," Coan said eventually, guessing correctly that Thaelin expected him to say something again. "Known him long?"

Thaelin rolled his eyes and grinned again, glancing back at the closed door as another rather loud knock made itself heard. "It seems like forever. I kicked him out earlier, but he found he had something he wanted to talk about so…"

Coan almost smiled at the other's confusion. "I see."

Thaelin winked at him. "Yea. Don't pay any attention to him. So," Thaelin leant nonchalantly against the wall next to his door. "You came for a reason?"

Coan floundered for a reason. 

:Invite him to sit with you at lunch tomorrow.:

"Who are you sitting with tomorrow?"

Thaelin looked confused for a brief moment, and then grinned. "I guess you."

Coan blinked.

Thaelin's grin faltered for a moment. "Or not…"

"No, I… I wouldn't…"

It was Thaelin's turn to blink at him.

Coan sighed, and decided to tell the truth. "I don't have many friends. I'm not really used to this kind of thing."

Thaelin beamed. "Are you asking to be my friend?"

"I… I guess so."

Thaelin tilted his head and smiled. "Sure. But I warn you, you'll have to put up with the freak in there too."

An outraged yell from the other side of the door told them both that Kylan had been listening. Thaelin turned, distracted with that piece of information, and Coan studied the back in confusion.

It had been understanding, what he had Felt a few moments ago… and it was something he rarely Felt. 

Basking in the knowledge that he now had a real friend, he said goodnight to Thaelin; who promptly disappeared into his room, presumably to kick Kylan out again; and went to bed curiously content.

:Told you so.: Faolan said quietly, seeming to know Coan was already half asleep.

"Mm," Coan mumbled something incoherently.

Faolan laughed quietly. :Sure thing, little love. Goodnight.:

Coan was already asleep.


	5. Thaelin: Tormenting Guilt

Title: Lawbreaker's Eyes

Author: I_nv_u50

Rating: PG13 

Disclaimer/Claimer: Characters so far are mine, but the world is Mercedes Lackey's. 

Warning: Slash (m/m) ahead. 

Author's Notes: Gah, sorry for the long wait . So saying (and for apology) the next chapter will be up in a couple of hours or so (or will already be up, depending on when you read this O.o)

The replies to Ch4 will be in that chapter ^^;;

Sorry for the long wait! ^^

Read, enjoy, and please review! ^^

"Work fast, don't you Thae?" Kylan remarked casually, and flopped down calmly on Thaelin's bed. "What about Cyril though? Weren't you sleeping with him?"

Thaelin shrugged, feeling vaguely uneasy. "I don't know what happened to Cyril. I haven't seen him since that night. And I don't want Coan as a boyfriend, Kylan."

Kylan shrugged again, the movement vaguely distorted by his lounging position. "Hey, it's not like you're going to see Cyril for a while, is it. You might as well take on a new lover."

"Like you?" Thaelin retorted, half angry. He honestly didn't want a new lover. He didn't need one at all. What he needed was friends, and he was happy that Coan had only offered that. "Besides, he's not nearly attractive enough."

Kylan rolled his eyes. "Cyril's spoilt you. If you think Cyril's looks are the only good looking kind out there, you won't have a hope. That Trainee isn't too bad looking. I suppose he gets more attractive the longer you look at him. He's got that kind of face, it seems."

Thaelin pulled a face at the blonde. "If you think he's so attractive, why don't you start sleeping with him?"

Kaelin grinned, half sheepishly, half teasingly. "I've got all I need. And all I want, for that matter."

"Then why am I even discussing this with you?" Thaelin asked heatedly, not expecting a real answer. "Go back to your Herald before he comes in here and smacks me around again."

Kylan sat up at that, his face serious for once. "I know he hasn't said it yet, but he is sorry for it."

Thaelin scowled at the blonde. "How do you know?"

Kylan smirked. "He didn't kick you out of the class today, did he?"

Thaelin snorted. "Whatever you say, Kyl. Just go already. I want to go to bed."

Kylan gave a mocking sigh. "All alone too, poor baby."

"Shut up, Kyl."

Kylan smirked, and opened the door. Just before stepping out though, he turned again and smiled sincerely at Thaelin. "I really am happy you're here, Thae. Maybe it'll seem a bit more like home is supposed to."

Thaelin blinked in surprise while Kylan gave him another brilliant grin, and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Thaelin stared at the door in astonishment for a few more moments, before laughing softly and lying back against his pillows, his eyes half closing leisurely. _:What say you, love?:_

Jesalis sent him a mental nuzzle. _:I always knew he seemed deeper than he acted.:_

_:Who, Kylan?:_ Thaelin asked back, climbing underneath the covers and shutting his eyes.

_:No, Coan.:_ Jesalis returned smugly. _:Although that Kylan seems like a peculiar boy. Either that or he's more special than we give him credit for.:_

Thaelin smirked sleepily. _:Kylan? He's just peculiar.:_ He yawned. _:Good night, dearheart.:_

_:Sleep well, love.:_ Jesalis returned, but Thaelin was already asleep.

The next morning, after he had bathed and dressed, Thaelin went outside to spend some time with Jesalis before breakfast. His previous lifestyle had him up early instinctively, and he could no more rise late than he could sleep early. But before he could start the walk to the Companion's Field, about the one place he knew exactly where to go to get there, Jesalis greeted him sweetly.

_:Bright the day, Chosen!:_

He blinked and smiled lazily at nothing as he walked. _:Heyla dearheart. What are you doing up so early?:_

_:Waiting for you to wake me up, of course.:_

Thaelin laughed. _:I'm doing a good job, it seems.:_

Jesalis chuckled in his mind. _:Actually Chosen, I have a favour to ask you.:_

"Anything for you, love," Thaelin replied gallantly, his tone barely hiding laughter. "Just tell me what you need done and I'll do my best to oblige!"

There was a short pause. _:Devoni says that Brynn wants to talk to you.:_

Thaelin ignored the brief flash of apprehension. "Who's Devoni?"

_:Brynn's Companion. He says Brynn's waiting in his suite.:_

Thaelin stopped, and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Hang on a moment. What is he going to do?"

_:Devoni swears he just wants to talk. He won't hit a Herald Trainee, Chosen. You don't need to worry about that now.:_

Thaelin grunted in a rare display of seriousness, and then let his habitual grin stretch his lips. "All right. How do I get there from where I am?"

Jesalis chuckled. _:You're very bad at directions love, aren't you? Turn around and go past the trainee rooms, until you reach the Herald's Suites. Kylan will be waiting for you at the entrance.:_

Thaelin was inexplicably relieved that Kylan would be there as well, regardless of what Devoni promised. It was a little harder trusting other people's Companions immediately… 

_:You know I'd never let anyone hurt you, right Thaelin?:_ Jesalis' mindvoice crooned into his mind, the tone so sad and honest that it made Thaelin's nose burn with unnoticed tears and his heart clench up.

"I'd never doubt you, dear heart. I believe you."

_:Then trust me on this. Brynn will not hurt you again.:_

Thaelin sighed, his worry suddenly depleted and his spirits lifting again. He changed the subject. _:What do you think of Coan?:_

Jesalis' tone was coloured yellow with teasing love when she replied. _:Is Kylan right then? You want to bed the boy?:_

"No!" Thaelin cried out, astounded. "Why does everyone think that?!"

He paused, and glanced around him, blushing. But the gardeners outside within hearing distance ignored him. He wondered if it was a common occurrence to see trainees yelling at mid air.

_:Fairly common, Chosen.:_ Jesalis told him, amused again. _:And I was only teasing.:_

"I know," Thaelin mumbled, feeling his blush go down thankfully. He grinned at the sky once his face was cool again. "I don't want another lover anyway. I liked Cyril too much to sleep with someone else."

There was another pause. _:Chosen… you know that the chances of Cyril being healthy and alive aren't very good, right?:_

Thaelin sighed, his grin faltering. Before he could think up an answer that he wanted to say though, Kylan had tackled him from out of nowhere, and they went down in a tangle of limbs and muffled curses and whoops.

"Kylan!" Thaelin laughed, half outraged and half hysterical. "That was playing dirty!"

Kylan rolled off of him and sat up, still laughing. "I have it on the best authority," he gasped between sniggers, "that heralds should be prepared to fight dirty as well!"

Thaelin fought his laughter down to a more tolerable level, still sniggering every now and then. "Oh yeah? And who told you that, wiseass?"

"I did," said someone from above and behind them.

Thaelin blinked, and then scrambled to his knees and turned to face the young man who was watching them with a secretive gleam in his gray eyes.

Thaelin looked up at him, and then smirked. "Heyla, Herald."

Brynn offered a tight smile in return. He looked uncomfortable.

Thaelin felt maliciously glad. Served the Herald right, after all. It wasn't like he had been _doing_ anything that merited being punched. 

Kylan took one look at them both, caught in an awkward and somewhat hostile stalemate, and huffed, getting to his feet. "We'll be right back," he said to Thaelin shortly, and grabbed Brynn's arm to drag the Herald a little way away so Thaelin couldn't hear them.

Thaelin gave them their illusion of privacy and grinned harshly at the ground, picking the grass there idly.

And then Jesalis' stern tone cut through his less than pleasant thoughts. _:Enough of that now.:_ she told him sharply. _:Brynn was wrong to hit you, yes, but you cannot go disliking him forever. Petty battles between Heralds and Trainees do not increase teamwork and relations have to stay good or Valdemar will perish.:_

Thaelin resisted the urge to snort incredulously. _:Yea, like me not liking Brynn is going to cause destruction for the entire country. Whatever.:_

_:Maybe not your argument in particular,:_ Jesalis countered calmly, _:but certainly, if many more trainees pick fights with heralds and vice versa. If every trainee didn't like a specific herald, then they would slack off in their work, because chances are that herald will eventually teach them something they need to know. And if irrelevant dislikes get in the way, they'll refuse to learn, whether they know it or not.:_

Thaelin sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say."

Jesalis gave a triumphant and smug snort in his head, and a hand appeared in his vision.

Thaelin followed the hand up the arm to the face. It didn't belong to Kylan as he had hoped and expected. It was Brynn, still looking uncomfortable, but now also slightly annoyed. Thaelin wondered if he had been getting a similar lecture from his Companion and Kylan.

He pushed the thought aside and glanced askance at Kylan, who was standing to the side patiently, his eyebrows raised.

Thaelin sighed again, and accepted the helping hand.

"So," Kylan started, carving a new pattern in the table with his beloved dagger. Brynn was watching the small, random movements with slight hostility in his eyes, but a mostly resigned expression on his face.

Thaelin couldn't quite hold back his grin at the sight. Brynn would just have to get used to Kylan fidgeting with his dagger. It was a permanent fixture.

"So," he repeated, and settled back to smirk across at the blonde, who made a face at him.

Brynn cleared his throat before Thaelin could respond in kind. "We did have _something_ to talk about, you two."

"We?" Thaelin glanced up. "What do you mean?"

The serious expression on Brynn's face made him feel apprehensive, and he grinned to hide it, not at all comfortable with the look in the steady gray eyes. "What I mean is, now that we know you're a part of that gang, there are going to be some questions."

Thaelin sat bolt upright, his grin disappearing as it sank in. Kylan was regarding the ruined tabletop directly in front of him miserably. Thaelin was almost amused when Brynn, probably unconsciously, sighed and moved his chair closer to the visibly nervous blonde.

A second later, Thaelin knew why. He was absolutely furious. If Kylan had told the Heralds, and Taevan or somebody else heard from one of their numerous sources, then Cyril would die. Not to mention Kylan _and_ himself. If he were Kylan, he'd be bloody uncomfortable as well.

"What in Havens did you tell them for?" he hissed across at the other teenager, who was very determinedly not meeting his eyes. "They'll kill us! They'll kill _Cyril_!"

"Cyril's probably already dead, Thaelin!" Kylan countered heatedly, leaning over the table so that he was almost nose-to-nose with Thaelin. "And they _can't_ reach us here!"

"Yea well, they damn well nearly did," Thaelin snapped, his grin angry and fixed, completely ignoring the Herald sitting next to Kylan. "You almost died, and I almost died, and Cyril's probably already dead!"

Kylan stood up suddenly, pushing his chair back so fast that it fell over with a loud clutter. "I don't see you rushing out there to save him! You didn't want to keep him even when he _did_ save you, against all odds! Don't go blaming me because you were too stupid to convince him to leave with you!"

There was a shocked silence. Kylan's cheeks were flushed with anger, and his breathing was slightly faster and harder than usual. Brynn was warily switching his attention between the two, carefully keeping an eye on the hand that was clenched around Kylan's dagger.

Thaelin felt all the blood drain out of his face.

After a moment, Brynn dared to speak. "Kylan… Kylan, put the knife down."

"No," Thaelin rasped out instead, a curious pain constricting his chest. "No, it's fine. I'll go."

Nobody made any move to stop him as he stumbled out of the door. Once he was in the corridor, he broke into a run, breakfast completely forgotten. All he wanted to do now was to be with Jesalis, somehow knowing she'd make him feel better in some way.

He didn't want Cyril to be dead. He didn't want Kylan to be right.

But he feared that they were both true, and that ate at him, making him angry and more miserable than he knew how to deal with. 

He sprinted over the bridge into the Companions Field, noting how Jesalis was already cantering towards him from some side just in sight. His legs, already burning with acid, gave out before he could get to her though, and by the time he had dropped on his knees to the grass, Jesalis was already lowering her head over him, nuzzling the back of his neck comfortingly, her mind silent.

It made Thaelin wonder if she thought he was to blame too. 


	6. Coan: Emotional Turmoil

Title: Lawbreaker's Eyes

Author: I_nv_u50

Rating: PG13 

Disclaimer/Claimer: Characters so far are mine, but the world is Mercedes Lackey's. 

Warning: Slash (m/m) ahead. 

Author's Notes: Nyeh ^^ good fast chapter. And hopefully I can start being regular with this story again. I really want to get this trilogy done ^^;; 

**Alex Lyons3**  ~  I'm glad you enjoyed it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**Stee**  ~  Yea, thaelin's got an attitude! XD Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**Sukura**  ~  I'm glad you're enjoying it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

**Kouryuu Sanomi**  ~  they are, aren't they XD Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

**colie**  ~  want me to lend you some boots? XD with guaranteed site-kicking action! Special offer today :D author alerts work on ff.net? O.o;; er… wonder what I'm doing wrong O.o;; nyeh, yeah, coan has a friend :D and there's rough patches, but they stay friends even after they become more!! Does it count as a spoiler if you know what's going to happen? XP shame. Poor coan. I'm not sure he's equipped to handle kylan _and_ thaelin. Brynn's pretty normal, so he should be all right, but for first friends… jeez, poor guy O.o; heh ^^ for some reason, dads don't seem to like that kind of thing. Makes me wonder where all this popularity for lesbians with middle aged men comes in if they can't handle girls liking gays O.o;; … er… yea O.o;; I don't think that had a point, so forgive me ^^;; nyeh, that's fine ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**ola**  ~  WB!! Here's another two chapters for you, so how's that for an apology? XD lol yep ^^ there will definitely be something there, but they're friends first, seeing as coan hates people, and thaelin's still hopelessly in love with a presumed dead guy. Ack, talk about soap operas XD heh ^^ they all kinda grow on you, I guess ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

T.T so few reviews T.T I'm gonna have to go into advertising! Mwaha!! Well… probably not, but oh well… hopefully I get the readers back if I update regularly…? Cause I will. Promise. I'll finish this trilogy if it's the last thing I do XD then I can start on the next valdemar story or I can find a new fandom… Hmmm… I was thinking maybe a one sided, one shot, shang li/ping from Mulan? It's a gay couple in Disney! Well, sorta… seeing as they didn't marry. But imagine, the true story it's based on must have had a gay couple for at least a while O.o;;; oh, the possibilities XD 

… so that's next on line. If anyone cares XD

if not, well then, read, enjoy and please please please review!!?? 

Ja ne!! ^^

Walking out of the stables relatively early, Coan paused. There was some sort of emotional disturbance in the middle area of the Field, which was strange, since he didn't often Feel Companions' emotions. Given that he knew he wasn't the only trainee who came to bug their Companion so early, he decided quite easily that it was a trainee, and made to continue on his way, the decision that it had nothing to do with him coming equally easily. 

_:Now hold on a minute, little love.:_ Faolan chided quietly. _:How do you know it's none of your business?:_

"Because I'm not there," Coan said over his shoulder into the stable. "If I were there, I'd be obligated to help, but I'm not."

He could hear Faolan's disgusted snort a few minutes before the annoyed Companion stalked out, his hooves ringing down the aisle. Coan dodged out of the way before he could get nipped, experience having taught him that it wasn't a pleasant encounter if Faolan didn't mean for it to tease.

The Companion stopped in front of him, lowering his head to shove his forehead against Coan's chest. _:It is your business now, Coan.:_

His name. Faolan was serious. Taking the hint, Coan sighed and carefully pushed Faolan's head away, careful not to do it too hard or Faolan _would_ nip him. "All right," he sighed again. "All right. But you give me a ride there then."

The emotions escalated somehow, and Coan bit his lip as he swung up onto Faolan's back. His empathy now made it a requirement to help, and it stung, the knowledge that he would have helped even without Faolan's interference.

Faolan whickered a laugh again, his previous high spirits returned now that Coan was making an effort.

"Tally ho," muttered Coan, and Faolan neighed loudly before cantering towards the middle of the Companion's Field.

Once a huddled figure and Companion were in sight, making it clear that they were the pair in question, Coan squinted slightly, trying to bring the identity into range. It would do no good if he got there, and the trainee was one of the sullen types that didn't like him because he ignored them most of the time.

After a moment, his straining eyes succeeded and he blinked. "Isn't that Jesalis?"

_:Yes.:_

"Then that's Thaelin. What made him so upset?"

Faolan didn't have an answer, but in the rapidly depleting distance, Jesalis raised her head and whinnied. The figure on the ground lifted his head as well, and Coan was close enough to see Thaelin attempt a grin when the other trainee saw them coming.

He was astonished to see the attempt work, especially since he could _Feel_ the raging emotions in the other boy. But to look at the face, you'd never imagine it…

Faolan skidded to a stop a few feet away, and Coan scrambled off, only to stand motionless in a sudden awkwardness. That face… it was an obvious mask. He felt guilty for having broken it, for having picked the lock, especially since it was obvious that Thaelin didn't want anyone else to know how close he seemed to be to break down.

Faolan shoved him with his muzzle.

Coan blinked over his shoulder at his Companion hesitantly, then slowly knelt down beside the still kneeling figure, although Thaelin wasn't huddled into himself now.

"Heyla, Coan," Thaelin chirped happily. "Fancy seeing you here."

Coan regarded the other boy steadily, increasingly confused. How could he sound so happy when Coan _knew_ he was so upset?

Thaelin's grin faded into a concerned smile when Coan didn't reply or smile back. "Coan? Are you all right?"

"I am," Coan managed to get out, shooting a quick glance at Jesalis for confirmation. The female Companion bobbed her head silently. Coan turned back to Thaelin. "But you're not."

Thaelin tried to laugh it off, his face flushing slightly. "That's silly. I'm fine."

Coan remained unconvinced. "Thaelin," he reminded the trainee softly, "remember where you met me?"

"Yea," Thaelin replied, his smile getting confused. "In the Healer's House. So what?"

"Do you remember why I was there?"

Thaelin looked blank for a moment. "No, I don't, sorry. Lots of stuff was happening, and I –"

Coan held up a hand, interrupting him. "It's fine, Thaelin, I don't expect you to remember. I'm an Empath. I go there to help out with people who are too miserable to heal themselves properly."

Thaelin's expression remained blank for a few moments more before realization dawned. He flushed. "So then… So then…"

Coan nodded, still feeling guilty. "You're not all right, are you."

He couldn't make it a question. 

Thaelin began staring at the ground, picking jerkily at the grass. A distinct feeling of awkwardness and fear was beginning to surface, and Coan took their arrival like a direct blow to the gut. He didn't want Thaelin to be scared of him! But… he didn't know what to do.

_:Touch him.:_ Faolan prompted. _:Put your hand on his shoulder or something. Tell him that he has nothing to be scared about, but show him as well.:_

Helplessly, Coan complied. He tentatively rested his hand on Thaelin's shoulder, unable to hide the almost flinch he reacted with as Thaelin's emotions poured over him full strength.

He might have whimpered, because he rarely touched people, so was unused to having double his own emotions in his body, but Faolan anchored him, helped him shield so that while not all the emotions were out, he could at least tell which ones were his.

Thaelin was staring at him in shock. "What – What was that?"

Coan blinked at him, equally surprised. "What was what?"

"That," Thaelin murmured softly. "What you just did… I don't feel so bad anymore."

Coan blinked at him. "Huh?"

Thaelin was beginning to smile, relieved. "What did you do? I feel… almost happy now. I didn't think I would, after what had happened."

Coan couldn't seem to make himself understand. "I don't understand," he told them all. He was beginning to feel dizzy.

Thaelin's face was growing concerned again, and fuzzy. "Hey, Coan, are you all right? You don't look so good, you're all pale and –"

There was a sudden moment of complete and utter vertigo: the world spun around twisted, crooked on it's axis, and then everything went black.

Coan woke up to soft voices that echoed slightly in the darkness, with dozens of separate and softer emotions battering at him from outside a barrier that he couldn't remember placing up against them.

There was only one person who could… or rather, only one _thing_ that could.

_:Faolan? Where is everybody?:_

Faolan's sudden excitement drifted through. _:Coan! You're awake! You've been out of it for a day or so, we were getting really worried!:_

_:What happened?:_ Coan asked slowly, his mind whirling, trying to keep thoughts straight when they seemed determined to mix and merge together until he didn't know what he was thinking.

_:That was one of the first times you've touched somebody who hasn't been physically wounded as well.:_ Faolan told him, his mindvoice soothing and helping the thoughts disentangle. _:We're not sure, but we think because the emotions weren't tied to help him recover physically, they were pulled towards you as well. You weren't prepared, and we were both too surprised to get the shield up in time, so you blacked out.:_

_:How's Thaelin?:_ Coan asked, distantly interested. It was nice, floating in darkness which, now that Faolan had joined him, reminded him very very vaguely of that first moment when their souls had connected.

_:He's extremely worried about you._: Faolan replied. _:and he feels terribly guilty as well, although Jesalis is beginning to convince him that because he didn't mean for it to happen, it wasn't his fault.:_

_:It was though.:_ Coan murmured mentally. _:If he hadn't been feeling that, I wouldn't have touched him, and-:_

Faolan snorted, interrupting. _:Don't be silly, Coan. –You– should know that no one can help what they feel.:_

_:I guess…:_ Coan muttered.

There was a short pause, and he floated some more peacefully, before a tendril of clear thought came to him. He spoke up again. _:Faolan? When I touched him… He felt so grieved.:_

_:I know.:_ Faolan replied softly. _:I felt that through you, remember.:_

Coan accepted this without reply. _:What do you think has happened to him?:_

_:Why are you so curious about him?:_ Faolan asked, his tone interested. _:It's not like you.:_

Coan shrugged mentally. _:I don't know. He just…_

:Interests you, I know. You're going to have to ask him yourself, if you want to know why he felt so grieved. You know Jesalis won't tell me.:

_:No.:_ Coan agreed. _:She'll tell you to butt out again. But I don't think he'll tell me either. He's still somewhat afraid of me, you know.:_

It hurt, in some vague way, to realize that he scared Thaelin simply because he could see what Thaelin was desperate to keep hidden. He wasn't sure if Thaelin would still want to be his friend, and that thought made his chest sting and his body tight, like it was trying to expel his soul. He forgot how to breathe. He wasn't sure there was air in this darkness either, and now it really _was_ dark, not that vaguely comforting sea of black that reminded him of being Chosen. 

Now it hurt, it made his body ache like one big bruise, made him gasp for air that didn't exist here and made hazy gray splotches explode behind his eyes.

:Coan! Chosen, just relax, I know it hurts, but this is necessary, just relax and remember to breathe!:

He wanted to ask what to breath, because there _was_ nothing, he was nothing, and he didn't know how to exist anymore than he knew how to relax or stop hurting.

A tug pulled at his mind, and he followed automatically, not knowing why he should obey. But he did, and when the gray splotches became seas of mist and fog that obscured his vision completely, he remembered how to breathe again.

"He should be waking up now," said a strange voice belonging to someone he couldn't immediately place.

"It's a good thing Faolan was there to help or he wouldn't have followed you."

"It's a better thing that he did," said the first voice again. "Coan, I know you're awake. I know you can hear me. Don't move yet, and don't open your eyes, all right? I'm Healer Jolan, and you're in the House of Healing right now. We haven't been able to figure out exactly what happened to make you black out, but the best we can see is that you absorbed all the negative emotions of one Trainee Thaelin when you touched him. He's all right, in fact, he's waiting until you're ready to see him so he can apologize, but it wasn't his fault. It wasn't your fault either. It was an accident, and one we hope to never repeat. Although," Jolan added slowly, "it might come in useful, if you can absorb emotions. We'll have to look into that, once your shields are better and you're feeling fully healthy again."

A hand lightly rested on Coan's forehead, and smoothed back his hair. "Don't talk yet. Sleep."

Coan stared lazily out the window. His sight had returned to him a few candlemarks before, and Faolan was making faces at him from the garden, which wasn't very man, given the horse shaped head and body, but his efforts amused Coan anyway.

"You look ridiculous," he told the unabashed Companion raspily, and winced at the sound of his own voice.

:And you sound ridiculous.: Faolan countered, his tone amused. He made another face.

Coan chuckled weakly. :I think I'm stuck with talking like this for a while.:

:I don't mind.: Faolan replied brightly. :Considering you do that way more anyway.:

Coan sniffed with mock haughtiness. :Are you saying I'm amusing?:

:No.: laughed Faolan. :Merely implying it!:

Coan snorted, a sound that didn't hurt so much, considering it was mainly made through his nose.

Faolan sent an image of hands applauding. :Oh, very good! Now let's see you whicker.:

:Maybe later.: Coan yawned, hiding another wince as that hurt his throat as well.

Faolan looked like he was entertaining some mischievous thought, but then he stopped and lifted his head, turning his neck to stare at the garden surrounding the Healing House. :Jesalis is coming. Thaelin's on her back. Are you up to seeing him?:

Coan sighed softly. :That depends. Is he still scared of me? I don't want my first friend to be scared of me.:

:Your first friend wasn't.: Faolan reminded him gently. :Your first friend still adores you. And if you're that worried about him being scared of you, I can shield you enough so you can't feel his fear – if he's even feeling it.:

Coan smiled at the reminder. :I love you too. And no, it's all right. I don't know if he's scared or not, but we might as well talk it all out. It's the only way he'll lose his fear if he – is – afraid, isn't it?:

There was a short pause. :When did you get so smart?: teased Faolan. :All right, little love. Good luck then.:

Coan didn't reply, choosing instead to send a mental hug to his Companion as the door was pushed open slowly, and a head tentatively got poked around.

Coan smiled at the nervous face as well, searching for fear as Thaelin offered an anxious smile and came in, closing the door behind him.

There was none. 


	7. Thaelin: Alarming Affairs

Title: Lawbreaker's Eyes

Author: I_nv_u50

Rating: PG13 

Disclaimer/Claimer: Characters so far are mine, but the world is Mercedes Lackey's. 

Warning: Slash (m/m) ahead. 

Author's Notes: Whee! Next chapter! Cliffhanger ending :D which means you get to wait at least one chapter to find how it ends up… unless I have thaelin talk to coan again next chapter XD Boohoohoo!! I have a whole mess of things due tomorrow for school, including a spanish story which should be illustrated. Ack. O.o; so I'm really sorry I can't answer reviews, I'll make sure to do extra long answers next chapter ^^;;;  anyways, thank you to _every_ reviewer!! :D cuz there were more this time!! Whee!! And I'll answer all the questions next chapter as well, so you'll each get two answers… sorta. Depending if you review this one as well ^^

As for the most important issues, this _is_ a trilogy. If anyone wants to read the summary for the next and final part, it's in my bio, under the 'next ideas' bit, right at the top… I think . No, Cyril isn't dead. I've got something planned for him ^~ the sequel's going to be much like this one, as in it'll have all these couples, and it'll build up on them, but it'll mainly be about the newest couple. 

And to clear it up, coan and thaelin aren't lifebonded. They won't be, they'll just be 'regular' lovers. The only life bound in this story are kylan and brynn, cuz remember, it's supposed to be a rare happening XD … nm the fact that at least every second or third book I read by Mercedes lackey has at least one lifebond in it XD

So anyway, if you read all that, congrats XD I hope it cleared it up for you somewhat. 

Read, enjoy, and please review!! ^^

Thaelin sidled nervously further into the room, unsure about what Coan's reaction would be. Despite Jesalis' by now impatient reassurances, he was convinced it was his fault. It had to be, because it had been his emotions that had triggered Coan's black out.

"Heyla," he said softly, coming slowly to stand by the side of the bed and shifted his weight awkwardly. "How are you feeling?"

Coan, amazingly enough, offered him a pained smile. "Like you felt when you first came here, I imagine."

"Oh…" Thaelin murmured, helplessly. He didn't know what to say.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few more moments while Thaelin gathered up his somewhat failing courage and took a deep breath.

"Look," he started quickly. "I'm really sorry about what I did to you the other day, I didn't mean for it to-"

Coan was shaking his head, a tiny movement that looked like it hurt, if the expression of brief pain sweeping across Coan's face was any indication. "It's not your fault," the other trainee rasped. "Look, can you mindspeak?"

Thaelin blinked. "I suppose so…" he thought back as he desperately tried to remember what mindspeaking was. He hadn't paid much attention to lessons, whether they were in Brynn's class or not "Er…"

_:It's what we do, Chosen.:_ Jesalis prompted helpfully. Then her tone turned lightly scolding. _:And you should know this by now.:_

"Er," Thaelin said again, with a sheepish grin that he let Jesalis feel. "Yea, I guess I can then."

Coan blinked at him, a flash of what might have been amusement in the dark brown eyes before fading again. And then Thaelin started, because an unfamiliar, _male_ voice was resounding through his mind.

:Do you mind if we talk like this then? My throat hurts too much to speak normally.:

Thaelin stared at the bedridden trainee, wide-eyed, suddenly uncomfortable with the strange manner of communication. "I…" He managed to recover quickly though, Jesalis' flow of amusement enough to make him feel slightly ashamed for being so surprised. "No, I don't mind…"

Coan gave another small smile. _:Don't be ashamed. It's a common reaction if you've never spoken mind to mind with someone other than your Companion.:_

Thaelin bowed his head, trying to hide his abashed expression, attempting to turn it into the unembarrassed, cocky grin that was usually so easy to put on. "I'm not ashamed," he murmured after a moment. "It just… surprised me, is all."

Coan made a low humming sound in his throat, and then winced in pain. _:Remind me not to do that again, would you? I wanted to talk to you.:_

Thaelin lifted his head and blinked at the other boy, suddenly curious. "Whatever happened to that shy, awkward trainee who offered to be my friend the other night?"

Coan paused, considering. _:I… don't know. You're just suddenly easier to be around, you know? It's more comfortable being with you than it was before…:_ The empath frowned slightly. _:It's not normal. I don't like it.:_

Thaelin lifted an eyebrow, feeling a flash of amused indignation rise up in him. "You don't like being around me?"

Coan flushed lightly, and looked away. _:It's… not that. You just Feel like… Feel like… Faolan. Almost.:_

Thaelin tilted his head, all of a sudden confused. "Who's Faolan? And why don't you like me feeling like him?"

Coan grinned briefly at the window. _:That's Faolan. He's my Companion, and he says that you should tell Jesalis to stop bossing him around. And I don't want you to Feel like him, because… because… you're –not- my Companion, and you just shouldn't Feel like you almost are.:_

Thaelin blinked, taken aback at the sudden frantic tone, but decided to ignore it, turning instead to face the window himself. _:Jes? What are you doing?:_

_:Teasing my younger brother.:_ Jesalis returned brightly, sending Thaelin a mental wink. _:I forgot to tell you that my family is quite a large one.:_

Thaelin could only sit and stare out the window. "Your… your brother?" he asked, not even realizing he was talking aloud. It hadn't occurred to him to think that Jesalis could have siblings, although now that he thought about it, it was more stupid that he hadn't thought about it. 

_:Didn't know, did you? Sorry, Chosen. I'll exchange family history with you later, but you should start talking about what happened the other day.:_ Jesalis' tone was faintly apologetic but still managed to be demanding.

Thaelin sighed and remembered who was in the bed he was sitting in. With a sudden flush, he apologized to Coan, unable to believe he was being such a stark raving idiot, and not knowing why.

Coan shook his head again, still that same small motion. _:Don't worry about it. Faolan's disarming like that as well. Must be a Companion thing.:_

"I guess," murmured Thaelin, profoundly disturbed with the sudden feeling that he was in way over his head. He was surprised with another smile, and couldn't repress the feeling that Coan should smile more often, because it seemed that the other trainee _did_ get more attractive as time passed… He hated Kylan for being right sometimes. He turned his thoughts miserably to Cyril, somewhat hoping to discourage the tug of attraction that had come into being when Coan smiled. He didn't want to betray his lover, no matter how all the facts pointed to Cyril either being dead or at the very least, them not being lovers any more.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Coan's mind tentatively brushed against his again. _:Are you all right?:_

Thaelin quickly pasted on a grin. "I'm fine," he replied chirpily. 

Coan merely stared at him blankly.

Thaelin's grin faltered and faded. "I… I'm worried," he admitted slowly, not in the least wanting to tell _any_one, but feeling compelled to confide anyway. "I…" he fell silent at that, not knowing what to say. He didn't want to tell anyone about his past life.

It was still all too real for him.

Coan watched him silently. _:I'm sure they're fine, whoever you're thinking about. And about the other day, it wasn't your fault.:_

Thaelin felt a fresh surge of guilt. "Whatever," he muttered. "You touch me and then you pass out. It's obviously my fault."

:You can't lie mind to mind, Thaelin. It's one of those accepted things because it's the absolute truth. So when I say it's not your fault, you're obligated to believe me.:

Thaelin stared at the other trainee. "Exactly how old are you?" he blurted out. How different Coan seemed now-!

Coan blinked at him, looking surprised. :Eighteen. Why?:

Thaelin sat back in his chair and shrugged. "You seemed a lot younger a few days ago, that's all…"

Coan smiled another half smile. :I felt a lot younger too…: he replied mysteriously. Then he closed his eyes and mentally changed the subject, asking Thaelin slowly about lessons.

Thaelin, happy to be distracted from anything that confused him further, talked back eagerly.

When he finally left, Kylan was waiting for him, a rare scowl of displeasure on his face as he stood off against Jesalis.

"Look here, you!" the blonde told the Companion, his tone agitated. "I'm not going to do anything! I was just going to watch them for a bit, that's all!"

Jesalis snorted, her mental overtones telling Thaelin that she was more amused than annoyed, but her eyes were fixed on the non-trainee with an expression in them akin to impatience.

:Don't interrupt, Chosen.: she told Thaelin, who obeyed with a genuine grin and leaned back against the wall of the House of Healing, feeling that it served Kylan right. No doubt his friend had been planning to spy on him and Coan, and Thaelin figured Jesalis could work Kylan up enough. 

The Companion stalked forward a few steps, putting her face to face with Kylan as she shoved him in the chest with her nose.

Kylan yelped in anger and surprise and fell over ungracefully to land on his back on the ground, glaring up at the Companion.

"Thaelin, get your pansy ass here and tell her to leave me alone now or, gods help me, I won't be responsible."

"I think you're doing fine on your own," Thaelin called back nonchalantly. "And it serves you right for trying to spy on me."

"I wasn't spying on you," Kylan countered without taking his narrowed eyes away from Jesalis. 

"No," Thaelin agreed, pulling himself away from the wall to walk closer. "But that's because she stopped you before you could, isn't it."

Kylan sat up carefully and shrugged, unabashed. "I only wanted to know if you've given up on Cyril."

Thaelin felt a brief chill sweep through him at that. He rested a hand on Jesalis' neck for comfort, which she willingly gave. "I haven't," was all Thaelin said though.

He had made up with Kylan the same evening of their fight, and they had silently agreed not to talk about Cyril, although Brynn kept asking questions about their past life, and because he had the power of the crown to back him up, Thaelin had to answer everything he asked. Thankfully though, Brynn was discreet, and only asked about Taevan and the likes, not about anything that might be the slightest bit personal. Thaelin was glad about that.

Kylan nodded slowly, his blue eyes finally leaving the Companion to stare at Thaelin's face. "Herald Astral wants to see us," he said quietly.

Thaelin blinked, trying to place the name. Who…?

:The King's Own, chosen. They're waiting for you in the Council Room.:

"Why?" Thaelin addressed his question to both of them. 

Kylan shrugged and looked resentful, although it wasn't aimed at Thaelin. "Brynn won't tell me," he muttered. "Something about secret business or something."

Thaelin kept his mouth shut to hide the sympathy that welled up in him. The two obviously loved each other to some extent, but they had yet to work out how to live together with the least amount of problems. Keeping secrets from Kylan was never the right way to go.

Thaelin sighed and offered a secret of his own in the hopes of appeasing Kylan's unspoken hurt. "I… Jesalis says…" he hesitated.

Jesalis supplied something. :They only want to know where the main bases were. And are hoping for a physical description of the leaders. And they want to know how many people are currently in training, and how many are already read to kill.:

Thaelin stopped his trailing off sentence to stare at his Companion, aghast. "You're kidding," he said weakly.

Jesalis shook her head silently. 

"What?" Kylan asked, although he had paled rather drastically. 

Thaelin let his legs collapse from under him. "They-they want to know…"

Kylan's eyes widened almost comically, except for the reason of the fear. "No." Even his voice wavered. "We can't tell them, Thaelin."

Thaelin shook his head helplessly. Jesalis nuzzled his shoulder. "I know… but they won't understand either… I'm a trainee, I should want to tell them…"

:No, you shouldn't, Chosen. They're hoping you'll tell, but your loyalties are split. They'll understand if you can't tell them everything they want to know. Even if you should.:

"I can't," Thaelin replied obstinately in reply to Jesalis' implied suggestion. "I just can't. I still have friends in there, even if Cyril is dead."

"They'll kill them too," whispered Kylan hoarsely. "Lord, Thaelin, what about Faris? He's probably been targeted already, you know what he's like! And Sef and Tylas, they'll probably be the first to go if anyone discovers we told the Heralds things that we know we shouldn't have…"

"I know," hissed Thaelin, and he buried his face in his hands. "We can't let them die… Taevan will probably send us pieces of their bodies just because he can…

"With detailed descriptions on hw each of them suffered before dying…" Kylan continued, his voice shaking audibly now. "We can't tell them,. Thaelin. We can't."

Jesalis snorted in Thaelin's hair. :It's not as hopeless as it seems, Chosen. Heralds are discreet, you should know that by now. Their first priority will be saving the more innocent people before they catch the ringleaders.:

"You don't understand," murmured Thaelin dully. "No one in that group is innocent. Most of them have killed at least one person, and others have stolen more than would feed a peasant family for a year – from people who aren't the richest nobles, and will probably miss the money within a few months of having it stolen! No one's innocent there, Jes, and if any of them get curt, then they'll go to gaol or be sentenced to death anyway!"

"We would have been one of those," Kylan said softly, staring at the ground intently. "Had I not bonded with a Herald, and Thaelin not been Chosen, we would have died as soon as we were caught."

The blonde lifted his eyes from the ground and stared at Thaelin, who returned the look with a similar expression of hopelessness.

"There's nothing we can do," he said softly.

"We'll just have to not say anything…" Thaelin continued, although there was a feeling of dread and guilt settling in the base of his stomach, and constricting his chest. He didn't want to be around when the Heralds found out they wouldn't tell them anything…

Granted, he knew Heralds never tortured people…

But ingrained knowledge told him when leaders grew angry…

Anything was possible. 


	8. Coan: Shocking Surprise

Title: Lawbreaker's Eyes

Author: I_nv_u50

Rating: PG13 

Disclaimer/Claimer: Characters so far are mine, but the world is Mercedes Lackey's. 

Warning: Slash (m/m) ahead. 

Author's Notes: Whoo!! Sorry it took so long to get out ^^ … at least when I _did_ make myself sit down and start writing, it wrote itself!! :D I love chapters like that… they're so helpful. So thank Coan for finally getting his butt into gear and producing this chapter – or it wouldn't have been done until mid October XD

Look for your name **twice** if you reviewed both chapters 6 & 7

Chapter 6 Reviews:

**colie**  ~  lol yeah!! Go boots!! Hmmm… I don't think my dad goes for the whole lesbian thing either… heh where are the stereotypes when you need them? XD lol yeah!! Go thaelin :D lol yeah… faolan's a sweetie :D I'm gonna write about his previous life soon… mwahaha!! My next series in due!! XD … well, sorta. If you disclude all those originals I have going on … (_gulps guiltily_) heh heh . lol residue? There's more than that to catch here XD but answers are in this chapter... hope you didn't wait too long XD

**The Golden Dragon**  ~  That's all right! I'm incredibly ashamed for taking so long to update T.T lol sounds like fun ^^ although that 'closer to the sea every year' sounds a bit… fun XD yeah, Cyril comes back. Just… …. Yea, k, I'm not gonna give spoilers :D lol WB!! Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**ola**  ~  lol things between thaelin and coan are complicated enough without Cyril's help XD heh ^^ … actually, I think I answered those questions last chapter… hmmm .

**Cathryn M. Guthrie**  ~  lol cliffhangers are my prime pleasure in life XD … or not really, but that sounded sadistic, didn't it? XD

**MajikzPawn**  ~  glad you're enjoying it ^^ I answered your question last chapter so… lol and I'll try to improve on the length, but you can only make the dumb muses write so much XD 

**psycho tabby cat**  ~  lol well, I hope you're liking it more now O.o; sorta…? Maybe? A little more? @.@ heh XD Coan's 18… unless, that is, do they have years? O.o; as in, like grades and stuff? O.o;; I can't remember T.T I'm such a bad valdemar fan T.T lol yeah. Man = many ( I think. Can't really remember O.o;;) heh nah, not really discouraged ^^ I'm still writing it, aint I? XD 

**Alex Lyons3**  ~  heh ^^ thaelin's just special :D and he's coan's first human friend (well… sorta…) which just makes it kinda more obvious that he's the one it happens too… they aren't lifebonded, as such, but… well, I guess you'll just have to read this chapter to find out, won't you XD Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**Kouryou Sanomi**  ~  lol sorry :D cliffhangers seem to be my specialty XD Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

Chapter 7 Reviews:

**Cathryn M. Guthrie**  ~  lol sorry for the wait ^^ I hope it's worth it XD Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

**psycho tabby cat**  ~  lol yea… neither can I…and then this trilogy is OVER baby!! XD and then I can get on with the next story, because I think I've fallen in love with faolan (er... it's a story of his past .) XD er… yea… read – ready (ie, are already ready to kill) uh… a bit of this, a little bit of that :D _or_ six of one, half a dozen of the other… . I don't think that was in every point correct, but oh well ^^;; sorry for the wait ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

**ola**  ~  indeed there are XD yep ^^ you get to see him again… although not for a while yet . (hint hint XD) aww, thank you!! ^^ I'm glad you're enjoying it so much :D Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it gain!! ^^

**Celtic-Mage  **~  lol there might be a sweet, sappy, completely plot-unrelated brynn/kylan interlude eventually, yes :D I'm guessing somewhere between chapters 10 and 15, if I can persuade them to make an appearance… lol I'm happy to know that they're loved that much :D thanks for the compliment ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

**futagoakuma-tenshio2**  ~  heh ^^ glad you like it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

**colie**  ~  nyeh, that's okay ^^ at least you reviewed XD lol, yeah, kylan's a screw up :D but a lovable one, at that. And coan and thaelin make such a cute couple at times :D … and then the rest of the time you just want to shake them and tell them to kiss and get it over with already. Or well, not yet, but that time will come. Oh yes, that time will come. (_glares at Coan and Thaelin, who grin back innocently_) hmph. Think I should do an official muses thingy, like Curses? I'll call it: Drat: Foiled Again! … heh heh :D and lots of people will feature in it XD heh… I think I will, one day. Soon, probably, because those are easy to write. XD … anyway, sorry . Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

Thanks for everyone who reviewed!! And I'd just like to point out that while er… yea… go read the extra An below or something when you're done reading this chapter XP

Read, enjoy, and please review!! ^^

Ja ne! ^^

Coan tentatively lifted an arm to try and put it behind his head, but got stuck half way, hissing in pain as the giant bruise that was his right arm began aching in a dull, and by now familiar way. The young man groaned with frustration.

_:Faolan! Why did you let them do this? It –hurts– damnit!:_

Faolan stuck his nose inquisitively in through the window. _:Why were you trying to move anyway?:_

"I can't feel my arm," muttered Coan, grudgingly admitting to himself that he should be content with the fact that he could now talk without wanting to die. "And I'm bored, besides."

_:Picky, picky, picky. Why not do a little searching?:_

"Like what?" 

Faolan sent a brief mental shrug. _:Dunno. Look for your new friend. Jes says he could do with some emotional support right about now.:_

"Uh huh," Coan intoned with more sarcasm than belief. "And you honestly think I can pick out his upset emotions from the others that are all scrambled up in this place anyway?"

:You might as well give it a try. You're connected to him somehow now, little love. I can sense something different about you. Not bad… just different.:

"Like what?" Coan asked hastily, trying to twist his head towards the window before remembering that while his throat might have gotten better, his neck still hurt like the devil. "And what do you mean, 'I'm _connected_ to him somehow'?"

But Faolan merely backed away. _:I never was a Healer, little love. I can't tell you –how–, I can only tell you that you –have–. I don't think I can explain it unless you see yourself like I do, and we both know you don't.:_

"I guess you're right," muttered Coan. And then, because he was bored, and had nothing better to do, and the fact that Faolan's news had interested him somewhat, he searched the jumbled emotions in the air around him, searching for something resembling Thaelin's.

And was neatly pulled off his metaphorical feet as something caught a hold of his searching 'hook' and yanked it directly to the Old Palace, straight into one of the smaller Council Room, if he thought his mental map was right. Almost more surprising was the fact that he _knew_ it was Thaelin he was feeling, although the other emotions in the room were pretty upset and tightly wound as well. But Thaelin's were definitely the clearest – almost so emotionally loud that Coan could almost see the scene in his head.

He dropped the line with a gasp that was both mental and physical, realizing dimly that he was sweating.

"Faolan…" Coan croaked, his voice shaking. "What was that?"

There was a short mental silence. _:Jes says Thaelin felt something then too. It distracted him.:_

"Distracted him from what?" Coan asked absently, then ignored the question. "What _was_ that?"

_:I told you that you were connected to him somehow now. It was almost like looking for me, wasn't it?:_

"Yea," mumbled Coan, half exhausted. "Except I can't search for you by emotion alone."

Faolan whickered a chuckle. _:Heh. I always was good at shielding. The thing is… Well, I think I need to talk to Taver before I tell you.:_

"Hang on a moment," Coan spluttered, battling with his painful body to try and sit up. "I deserve to know first! It's _me_ that it's happening to, isn't it? Whatever _it_ is! I should know first."

Faolan listened with the air of muted pride. _:I'm so glad you're showing some backbone. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.:_

"What?" Coan cried. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

Faolan bobbed his head cheerfully, not in the least affected or swayed over by the mental threats Coan was sending him. _:Exactly what I said, little love! Now, if you excuse me, I need to go have an important chat with Taver, and see if he can make more sense of this. Meanwhile, you need to strengthen your barriers. You're absorbing all the other anger of everyone else in the Healing House.:_

"It's what I do," muttered Coan, sulking a little and slumping back against his pillows.

_:Don't sulk, Chosen. I'll tell you as soon as we've figured out –exactly– what happened to you.:_

"Fine," Coan agreed reluctantly.

Faolan sent a mental hug and neatly stepped into the back of his mind, snuffling a pleasant 'goodbye' as he stepped away from the window as well.

Coan sniffed a little and lay back against his pillow again, idly counting the spots on the ceiling.

He was back to being bored.

Coan was woken up from a sleep that he hadn't realized he had fallen into by the inescapable presence waiting by his bed. It didn't _feel_ familiar, so he opened his eyes and blinked at the visitor. Just as quickly, he decided this was a dream.

The figure by his bed was fluctuating between male and female, sometimes more obvious one than the other, but at all times definitely hazy and out of focus.

"Coan," s/he crooned softly.

Coan blinked, not quite ready to be scared yet, but already well on his way to being suspicious. "Yes?"

The person… _thing_ smiled mistily. "I've found you…"

A tendril of fear crept up, and then Coan realized something was missing. Vague and faint, there was a press of emotions on the outside of his shields, but this person didn't have anything to read emotionally.

Didn't have anything to search for.

"Uh… who are you?" he tried to keep the fear from his voice.

"Me? I'm a friend of a friend…" the thing murmured. "Don't be afraid… Thaelin said it was safe to visit…"

Coan frowned thoughtfully. "Thaelin?"

"Yes… he said it would be all right to ask you some questions… Would you answer some for me, Coan?"

"No," Coan replied bluntly. It was the easy answer. Undoubtedly the correct one to make, morally, but it also made the thing pause in a manner that suggested that maybe Coan should have agreed.

"Would you reconsider, Coan? People are in danger – their only hope lies in whether you answer me or not."

Coan tried to call Faolan, but his Companion was still blocking him, no doubt thinking that Coan was trying to pry into some sort of secret… Coan couldn't remember right now, but he recalled that it had been important somehow… "Why don't you ask me, and I'll see if I can answer?" he returned cautiously, still trying to call Faolan.

"People depend on you, Coan. You need to answer truthfully…"

A glimmer of an idea occurred to Coan. "If I tell you answers, will you give me answers?"

The thing paused. "Maybe," it conceded slowly.

"All right."

"Which classes does Thaelin have?"

"Well, I know he has an orientation class, and an… Wait, didn't you say you were friends with him?"

"I am," the person reassured hastily, soothingly. "But I'm just making sure…"

"Why?"

"Because I'd like to visit him one day…"

"Who are you?"

"You owe me an answer first, Coan," the thing reminded gently. "Where does Thaelin sleep?"

Since it was basically common knowledge where the trainees slept, Coan attempted a nonchalant shrug. "In the Heraldic trainee rooms…"

"Ah…" the thing breathed out. "Thank you…"

"Wait," Coan called out, piqued and suddenly more suspicious and afraid than he had been a few moments earlier. "Who are you? Why did you want to know?"

"Just call me…" the thing breathed softly, fading into the mist…

"Just call me Cyril…"

Coan awoke with a start, his mind still clamoring for Faolan, with said Companion both annoyed and concerned, standing by the window again and trying to get Coan to calm down.

_:Coan! Calm down! I'm here, I'm not blocking you anymore! What is it? Stop babbling and make some sense!:_

Coan blinked at his Companion, shocked. "Faolan? What's wrong?"

Faolan snorted impatiently. _:I take down my shields after my talk with Taver, and you're there asking for help and begging me to come save you. What was going on?:_

Coan shot his Companion a confused look. "I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I be asking you for help in my sleep?"

Now Faolan gave him a concerned look. _:I don't know, little love. Do you remember what your nightmare was about perhaps?:_

Coan frowned thoughtfully for a few moments, before shaking his head slowly. "I remember a name of some sort, but nothing else…"

_:Hmmm…:_ Faolan hummed inscrutably. _:Well, since you seem to be all right, we can probably just forget about it. Let me know if it happens again though, would you? I wouldn't be able to stand it if anything else freaky happens to you.:_

"What do you mean 'anything else freaky'?" Coan asked, before his memory kicked into gear again. "That's right! Thaelin! Did you talk to Taver? What did he say? What's _wrong_ with me?"

_:Nothing.:_ Faolan told him soothingly, calmly. _:Nothing's –wrong– precisely, it's just… it's just peculiar. Taver says he doesn't think anything like this has happened before… He told Herald Astral our suspicions, and -:_

"What suspicions?!" exclaimed Coan, fed up with all the sidestepping. "Lords above, just tell me what's _wrong_, or peculiar, or whatever; just tell me already!"

Faolan stared at him consideringly. _:Er…:_

Coan glared at his Companion. "Spill it," he told Faolan. "Or I won't-"

Before he could continue, someone knocked on the door quietly.

Coan glared at Faolan, who merely smirked at him mentally. "Don't think I'm going to let this go," he warned, and invited Thaelin in, somehow instinctively recognizing the tone of the younger boy's emotions.

"It was horrible," Thaelin told him dully, still speaking with his head buried in his hands, where it had been located pretty much since Thaelin had sat down. "Kylan almost threw a complete  fit – they still don't trust him, you know – and Brynn kept trying to calm first Kyl and then one of the more offended Heralds down…"

Coan watched the black haired boy with something akin to sympathy, the 'peculiarity' put out of his mind at the moment. "It's all right though, isn't it?" 

Thaelin shook his head slowly. "They weren't happy when neither of said anything about –" Thaelin trailed off, stopping completely before he lifted his head. "Why am I telling this to you anyway? You're an invalid, you have better things to think about!" 

He was grinning again.

Coan shook his head and sighed. "Look, why don't you just drop the act? I already know you're unhappy about _some_thing."

Thaelin pulled a face at him. "Worrying and moping about it isn't going to help, I can promise you."

"I know that," Coan replied defensively, and was about to say something when he stopped and blinked, surprised. Since when had he began encouraging others – who _weren't_ hurt – to tell him their problems? It was inconceivable, and yet, here he was, almost asking Thaelin to tell him – and Thaelin wasn't even hurt!

_:Aww, my baby's growing up!:_ teased Faolan.

_:Shut up, horse.:_ Coan returned sullenly. _:Why do I feel like helping him? Why does he feel he can trust me so much? There –is– something connecting us now, isn't there? And you know what it is!:_

_:I wouldn't go that far.:_ cautioned Faolan. _:I have more of an idea, yes, but none of us are certain.:_

"None of you?" Coan said aloud unconsciously.

Thaelin blinked, and then grinned. "I think I'd better go if you're having an argument with your Companion. I'll come see you later, Coan." He hesitated, and then smiled again, although this one, Coan could feel, was genuine. "Thanks for listening. I don't know why I told you, but I feel better now."

Coan offered back a half smile. "I'm glad."

He waited until Thaelin had shut the door behind him before turning back to his argument with Faolan. "There. We're alone now, could you please tell me who else knows, and _why_ they know when I don't?"

_:The only ones who know are Taver, Herald Astral, Jesalis, and myself. And maybe the King.:_ Faolan said helpfully. _:They are the only ones involved, and so they are the only ones who have to know at the moment.:_

"How is Taver and Herald Astral involved?" Coan asked, somewhat sourly. He didn't like that other people knew when he didn't – and when it pertained to him to.

_:Because, little love, nothing goes on in this kingdom without their knowledge of it in someway – or at least, their pursuing that knowledge, which is sometimes rather elusive.:_

"You mean like Thaelin and Kylan's criminal gang?" Coan mumbled absently, intent on marveling at the Heraldic system. Really, it was fantastic! The things Heralds could do and know and find out! He was quite proud to have been Chosen, and almost said so to Faolan when Faolan just about blasted his mind apart with a hurried (and loud) inquiry.

_:Coan! How did you know about that? Only a select few know about Kylan's past and Thaelin hasn't told –anyone– yet! Who told you!?:_

"Told me about what?" Coan yelped, clutching his head. "And could you keep it down? That hurt!" He paused. "What about Thaelin?"

Faolan merely stared at him through the window, his blue eyes wide and surprised, his mind suddenly someplace else, rather than sharing Coan's.

After a moment of blank staring at each other, Faolan heaved a sigh. _:Coan… All right, I told Taver that you knew about Thaelin and Kylan's past. And he says I can tell you now.:_

"I don't know a thing about their past," Coan protested unthinkingly. "Except that Kylan murdered Herald Akseli, didn't he?" he stopped and blinked, his eyes going wide. "And if Thaelin and Kylan knew each other _before_ coming here then –"

_:Jesalis didn't choose a murderer.:_ Faolan told him blankly.

Coan waved that aside. "I know that! Thaelin wouldn't kill anyone on _purpose_! But –" 

_:Coan.:_ Faolan cut in. _:Why do you know so much about Thaelin?:_

Coan blinked and thought, suddenly confused and a little scared again. "I don't know…" he told his Companion slowly. "I just… know, somehow, I guess. I don't even know that I know…" he trailed off and stared at Faolan in sudden panic. "What's going on, Faolan?"

Faolan sighed again. _:Jesalis and I have both examined you and Thaelin… and Taver will as well, as soon as you know what we think and when he can guarantee you won't have a collapse… But both Jesalis and I found out the same thing…:_

"What?! Just _tell_ me already!"

Faolan shook his head, somewhat nervously, somewhat puzzled. _:You –do– share a bond with Thaelin now… And we think it activated that same day you touched him. It isn't a normal bond, both of you being what and who you are, and that combined with the sudden triggering and multiple other emotional ties that I won't go into detail about now… The thing is… your bond with Thaelin represents an extremely closer and more intimate version of the bond between two Companions. It –isn't– a lifebond – nothing like it, in fact. To put it simply, you 'Chose' each other.:_

Extra AN: How's _that_ for an unexpected plot twist? I never saw it coming, I can promise you that. Just to clarify: IT IS NOT A LIFEBOND! XD I suppose I can go into more detail about it in later chapters – in fact, I can predict I'm expected to – both by the muses and you =P … ah well. At least it'll be an interesting exploration thingy, huh? Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go strangle coan for putting this in when all I wanted was a simple, slightly stronger emotional attachment. I never asked for _this_! But now that it's what he's given me… I suppose it could work out well. Maybe O.o; keep an eye on the plot, cause it gets busier from here on in XD

Don't forget to review!! 

Adios! ^^


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